Jurai Blues
by Psyco Panda
Summary: After Ryoko does something without thinking, can Tenchi forgive her? And what's happened to Ayeka? Rated PG-13 because I'm not certain exactly what will happen next. First Fic, so please R&R.
1. Prologue Is it what it appears?

Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd spend my time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Tenchi Muyo is copyrighted (c) 1992-2001 AIC * Pioneer LDC.   
  
Note: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're "modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.) Basically, everything that happened in the OAV happened here, but there are several differences, Kiyone being around one of the largest.  
  
=====Jurai Blues - prologue=====  
By Confucious Says (Or James Kane, if you prefer)  
  
=====Masaki residence, sometime after midnight=====  
  
It was a quiet night at the Masaki household. A slight wind was blowing, rustling the leaves of the trees like a baby's rattle. The First princess of the planet Jurai, Ayeka, was dressed in a light jacket to cover her nightgown. She walked slowly along the edge of the lake, looking out over its glossy surface. 'It's nice to be able to relax' she thought to herself, 'without that monster woman around to cause trouble. I've forgotten just how lovely it is out here.' She knelt down to examine a small flower by the edge of the lake. She had woken up earlier that night because of a noise, and since it had appeared no one else had woken up, and she hadn't wanted to wake up Lord Tenchi for such a simple thing, she'd been left alone to investigate. She was a princess of Jurai, and she could handle a simple thief, if that was what it had been. She hadn't found much to explain it, though, and had written it off as unimportant. But after about half an hour of tossing and turning on her mat, and to avoid waking up Sasami, she got up, took one of Tenchi's jackets out of the closet and went for a moon-lit walk.  
She walked back to the house and sat on the porch, her eyes moving towards the sky. She strained to find the star she had grown up under. She knew she couldn't see it. It was to far away, but she saw other stars she knew. A planet she'd visited as a child. Another one she'd learned from her teacher.   
" Why do I stay here?" She thought aloud. There must be a hundred courtiers back on planet Jurai. And not all of them were as strange as that Seiryo man. She wouldn't mind being back with her parents. Her father was normally a kind man, and only seemed to get angry when Tenchi or Yosho was around. Even her mother Misaki, though she could be trying at times, would be great to have around. And she definitely wouldn't mind the servants waiting on her hand and foot. But still...  
Her eyes drifted from the stars to Tenchi's room. "Tenchi........." she whispered. A warm feeling swept over her, like every other time she said it. Or at least, she admitted to herself, whenever she said it having nothing to do with Ryoko. 'If it weren't for that mummy woman', she thought ' Tenchi and I would probably already be married by now. That hag ruins everything.' She sighed and closed her eyes. 'It didn't matter anyway, true love always wins in the en....'  
THUDD!  
She was startled by a loud noise to her side. It sounded like something small smacking into a window. It took her only a moment to realize what exactly it was. A moment later, Ryo-oh-ki teleported through the window and started hopping towards the forest. 'Now that's odd' Ayeka wondered. ' What would Ryo-Ohki be doing up this late?' The cabbit usually didn't stray too far from Sasami. "Probably just to get some carrots" she said to herself. That seemed to answer the question, and she quietly resumed her stargazing. Until a moment later the thought occurred to her, the carrots fields are in the other direction. The only reason she might be out here was Ryoko, because Sasami certainly couldn't have gotten out without Ayeka seeing her. Curious, Ayeka stood up and walked towards where Ryo-Ohki had gone into the woods.   
There wasn't any real path through the woods, so Ayeka had to make her own way. After several minutes of searching, she began to lose hope. She wasn't a tracker, and she certainly coulnd't find such a small animal without help. She was just about to give up when she stepped on something soft, lost her balance, and fell into a mud puddle, sending mud everywhere. There was also a loud cry and the sound of a small animal scurrying away. Ayeka looked up from the mud puddle to where the animal had run, and saw Ryo-Ohki staring back at her.  
"Miya?" The cabbit questioned. Ayeka stood up and tried to wipe the mud off, but gave up after a few moments, realizing her nightgown would need a serious washing before it was clean again. She looked back at Ryo-Ohki.  
" I'm sorry Ryo-Ohki. I didn't see you there. I followed you into the forest because I was worried something might be wrong." The cabbit accepted Ayeka's response, smiled, and hopped over to Ayeka. Ayeka knelt down and petted Ryo-Ohki, stroking her soft fur.  
" What are you doing out here, Ryo-Ohki? It's very late." The cabbit miya'd and nodded in a direction deeper into the forest.   
" Oh, is there something deeper in the forest?" The cabbit nodded. " Let's go then." She picked up the cabbit, and continued on deeper in the woods.  
" This isn't something dangerous, is it?" Ayeka asked.   
" Miya miya." The cabbit replied a negative miya. Ayeka stroked Ryo-oh-ki again, and looked deeper into the woods. Ahead was a small clearing. 'That must be where Ryo-oh-ki was headed'. Ayeka thought. As she looked closer, she saw human looking shapes moving against the moonlight. Someone else was awake, but who? Ayeka looked down at Ryo-Ohki. 'If Ryo-ohki was headed out here, then it's either Sasami or that monster woman. And if Sasami had come out, then Ryo-ohki probably would have come with her instead of staying behind to follow later.' Ayeka thought. Still, it was best to know when Ryoko was up to something. She continued forward, planning on confronting Ryoko on whatever she was doing, but stopped suddenly at the edge of the clearing. In the middle of the clearing, Tenchi stood with his back to her. He was dressed in black pants but had no shirt on. Confused, she called out to him  
" Lo..." She said, but the words froze in her throat when she realized they weren't alone. At the other end of the clearing, Ryoko sat kneeling on the ground, without a shred of clothing on, and Tenchi was looking at her, in almost a hungry way. Shocked, she went limp, fell to her knees and dropped Ryo-Ohki. The cabbit dropped on some dead leaves, which cracked as the cabbit landed on them. Startled, Tenchi spun around and looked at Ayeka. Ryoko looked over with a smirk on her face.  
" Lo-lo-lord Tenchi what is going on here!?!" Ayeka stuttered. Tenchi blushed severely.   
" I-Well, Ayeka. Ryoko and I... We came out here too..." Tenchi stuttered, but couldn't find the words  
" Lord Tenchi YOU CAN'T MEAN!" She gasped and looked to Ryoko. " That-that you and that monster woman are...?" Tears began to fill her eyes, but before they got too full, she saw Ryoko give a smile that Ayeka could read perfectly. It said 'I won, Princess'.  
" Ayeka, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I know I should have told you sooner but... I" Tenchi said, but before he could finish Ayeka was too her feet and running into the darkness.  
  
  
There it is, my first Fic. Please Read and review, but constructive criticism only. Messages saying "You suck, stop writing" will be ignored. E-mail is confuciousays@hotmail.com. 


	2. Jurai Blues Chapter 1 That thing in Ryo...

Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd spend my time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Note: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're "modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.)   
  
Summary of prologue-Ayeka discovered Tenchi had been having sex with Ryoko, and ran off into the night.   
  
  
=====Jurai Blues - Part 1=====  
  
=====Aboard a Jurain battle cruiser=====  
  
  
Captain Kai Sakuma stood aboard the bridge of the Jurain Battle cruiser Eternity, looking over data sheets. The Eternity was currently assigned to border patrol, but because Jurai's border was protected by a large force field network, not much ever happened. Some captain's were somewhat insulted by such a meaningless duty, but Kai wasn't. The Eternity had until recently been assigned to patrol certain shipping lanes outside the Jurain empire, that were frequented by Jurain merchants, so Captain Sakuma and his crew were grateful for the time off.   
Battleships were slightly different from the normal ships of Jurain royalty. They still had the feeling of being alive that Jurain ships were famous for. Like royal vessels, they were made of wood, although it's hull was coated with a stronger material then non-military Jurain ships. They were still noticeably different than vessels of other races, especially inside. There were streams of water running along narrow channels through out the ship, which were actually sophisticated systems for transmitting data. There were plants and shrubs, but not as many as on royalty vessels. Royal vessels had very little wooden flooring, instead going for soft grass. By contrast much more of the ship was visivl wood, and it was more orderly than royal vessels. While Royal vessels resembled a garden area with grass covered floors and a plant life, military vessels had wooden decks, and wooden operations stations, while the plants were more secondary. Also, like Royal vessels, it's power came from a Jurai tree, but it was kept in a secure, armored area near the core of the ship, instead of out in the open. Still it was a beautiful vessel, and at over a kilometer long, its power was unequaled in the known galaxy. It had been an uneventful couple of months, and Captain Sakuma had hoped it would stay that way. But, this would be a boring story if it did.  
" Excuse me, Captain Sakuma." An officer motioned for the captain. " I have some unusual reading here." Sakuma was a fairly young man. He came from a long line of military officers, including two current generals and no less then six starship commanders, although since Jurai ships were so powerful, their captains need not be extremely competent. Perhaps the one failing of the Jurai military, though Sakuma was above average mentally. " What is it?" He asked, putting down his data sheets.   
" Well, sir, its possible we may have been boarded by unknown forces." The officer nervously said. Sakuma's eyes narrowed and he stared at the officer.  
" What do you mean 'may have been'? Either we have or we haven't. Are there any other ships in the area?"  
" Um, no sir. However we have detected two new people on board the Eternity, that weren't here before. We've run the scan several times with the same results, and all diagnostics show sensors are working normally."   
" Only two. Rather small boarding party." Sakuma chuckled. " Probably just a sensor glitch. Where are these boarders located?"   
" That's the other thing, sir. They're in the Koyasu's chamber." Sakuma froze for a moment. Koyasu was his Jurai tree, and the power source for the ship. If something happened to it, they'd be helpless. But, he realized, if no alarm had sounded, they were okay. Unless someone had found a way to disable a Jurai tree, but that was impossible  
" I'll go check it out myself. If Koyasu hasn't sounded an alarm, then we shouldn't be in any danger. Tell commander Kassa she's in charge until I get back." He started for the bridge elevator. Then looked back for a second. " But order a security team to meet me there half way, just in case."   
  
" But Ayeka, why did we have to leave so quickly. I didn't even get to say good-bye to Tenchi." Sasami said. She put the bag she was carrying down at her feet, on one of the stepping-stones in the small indoor lake, then quickly turned and bowed to the Jurai tree in thanks. She and her older sister had appeared in a large area chamber a Jurai tree. The place was well lit, and the floor was mostly water, with a small walkway of stepping stones connecting the door to the trees soil base, with a small walkway, along with small benches near the base of the tree. Ayeka thought it looked similar to the area Washu had given her to hold her Ryu-oh, and she mentally kicked herself, thinking she'd have to go back and get her tree from Washu.   
" We left because- because ..." Ayeka closed her eyes, still wet from tears. She had changed into her purple kimono, but hadn't had time to shower or bathe, so mud still stained her shoes, parts of her hands and hair. " Because Tenchi didn't need us there anymore." She started for the door. " Azaka, Kamidake, come." Her Jurain guardians carried the rest of the bags in a force field, started following her. Sasami too, shrugged and started following her.  
" Ayeka, why did you want me to ask Tsunami to transport us to a Jurai ship, instead of just back to Jurai." Sasami said.   
" Sasami, I... I just need some time alone. I don't need a dozens of Jurain noble's just popping in say welcome back." Ayeka said. She sat down softly on the bench by the door. Sasami rushed over and sat by her sister. It hurt her to see Ayeka in so much pain. She'd come crying into their room last night, talking incoherently about something or another, while changing clothes and packing up at the same time. Sasami hadn't really wanted to leave, but Ayeka had asked her to have Tsunami transport them to a Jurai ship, first pleading then she had started to sound angry. Sasami had just given up, and asked Tsunami to do it. The goddess of Jurai had done it, but Sasami had gotten the sense that Tsunami hadn't been happy about doing it.  
" We could have at least stayed till morning. We didn't even tell anyone we were going. I don't want them worrying about us." Sasami looked at her older sister, but she did not look back.   
" They'll know why we left." She said spitefully. The tears had stopped now, but he cheeks were still very puffed.  
" I'm sorry about Tenchi." Sasami said. Ayeka suddenly tensed up. Her head whipped around and she stared intently at Sasami, her hands clenched.  
" Did you know what was going on?" She demanded.   
" No, but there wasn't much else it could be." Sasami replied. Ayeka relaxed a bit, a nodded weakly in agreement, then let her head drop as she stared at the floor and her eyes lost focus. They sat in silence for the next several minutes. Neither saying a word, until the door to the chamber slid open. A man wearing a Jurain military officers uniform, with captains markings, walked in along with several guards. He looked around and saw the girls.  
" Well, we do have guests." The man said quietly. He looked a little confused. Obviously he hadn't expected two young girls to be the boarders. " I'm Kai Sakuma, the captain of this ship. Would either of you like to explain how you got on board, and what exactly you want here?" Ayeka just sighed softly and didn't even look up at the man, so Sasami realized she had to do the talking.  
" Hello. I'm Sasami Jurai. This is Ayeka Jurai, my sister and the crown princess. And they are" She pointed to her guardians " Azaka and Kamidake, our guardians. We were hoping you could take us back to planet Jurai." This clearly took the man by surprise, as his jaw dropped for a moment. He recovered quickly though.  
" Certainly your highness, I suppose we can." He motioned towards for the guards to take their baggage. " You realize before we can do anything though, we have to confirm your identity."   
" Of course." This time it was Ayeka who spoke. She didn't look up, just said it quietly. " But would you please give us a moment." The captain nodded, and they left. Apparently he was convinced enough that they were who they claimed, either by the tree's calmness or the appearance of royal guardians, that he would risk leaving them alone with his tree.  
" Sasami."   
" Yes Ayeka?"  
" I won't make you go back with me if you don't want to. Tsunami can take you back to Earth." Sasami thought for a moment. She could go back to Earth, but that would mean leaving her sister alone, and she didn't want to do that. If she stayed, she could help Ayeka, but there would be no one to cook and she'd miss Tenchi.   
" I'll stay, sister." Ayeka smiled weakly at this, for the first time in a while, and hugged Sasami. 'Tenchi will survive.' She thought.  
" Thank you Sasami."  
  
  
=====Masaki residence, the next morning=====  
  
Tenchi yawned and stretched his arms as he got out of bed. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong. The feeling stayed with him as he got dressed, and as he went to the bathroom. The feeling was just starting to get to him when he started downstairs for breakfast.   
" Good morning, Tenchi." Ryoko purred. That was it. Ryoko hadn't been hovering over him as he woke up. And Ayeka was no where to be seen. That was a first.   
" Good morning Ryoko." Ryoko sat was stretched out on the couch in her blue and yellow striped dress, smiling broadly, hands folded over her stomach. Washu sat by the window clicking away at her computer screen. Mihoshi was still probably still asleep. " What do you look so happy about?"  
" Oh nothing, Tenchi." She teleported off the couch and re-appeared behind him with her arms around his chest. " I was just thinking about you and me." Washu did her best to ignore them, despite Tenchi's pleading looks. Tenchi slipped out of her hold, easily done after so much practice. He hurried down the stairs, trying to escape Ryoko, and was pleasantly surprised when she didn't pursue, just teleported back to the couch and watched him. 'Maybe she's finally learned the concept of personal space.' He thought. ' Yeah right, I wish.' He walked down to the table, which was strangely empty.   
" What time did Sasami say breakfast would be ready?" Tenchi asked.  
" Actually, I don't think she's up yet. I haven't seen her, or Princess Ayeka all morning." Washu said, not looking up from her computer.  
" Well I guess she's earned some vacation time." Tenchi chuckled. " But this isn't like her. I'm going to make sure she's ok." He went back upstairs, and knocked on the princesses room. There was no answer.   
" Princess Ayeka, Sasami, are you awake?" Tenchi said. Still no answer. " I'm going to open to door now, so please cover up if your indecent. He opened the door, and sweat dropped as he saw nothing was there. " Whaaa?" He went in, but aside from a few little things and their bedmats, everything was gone. All their boxes were gone, and the closet was empty.  
" Oh no! Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami have been kidnapped!" Tenchi turned around to see Mihoshi standing in the open doorway.  
" They haven't been kidnapped." Tenchi said. " I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why they packed up and left... in the night... without telling anyone." Tenchi started sounding unconvinced towards the end. Ryoko teleported up behind them.   
" Uh-oh." She whispered.   
" Do you know something about this, Ryoko?" Ryoko's sweatdrops.   
" Why no Tenchi. I was just thinking that with Sasami gone, there's no one to cook." 'Damn Ayeka. I never thought she'd take it like this.' Ryoko thought.   
" Ryoko, I think there are more important things." Tenchi pushed past the girls crowding the door. " Lttle Washu?" He went downstairs, and to Washu.  
" Well Good morning Tenchi." Washu said. She wore her old science academy uniform, as usual. " Did you want something from me?" She smiled broadly, and it made Tenchi nervous. Though that wasn't hard to do.  
" Um, Little Washu? Do you know what happened to Ayeka and Sasami?" Tenchi smiled nervously at Washu.   
" Did something happen to them? I'll have to check my logs, but I don't think anything unusual has happened recently. Why? What happened to them?"   
" They seem to have packed up and left."  
" Hmmmm. That is odd." Washu went into thinking mode. " Anyone see anything suspicious? Mihoshi? Ryoko?" She put extra stress on Ryoko, who merely scowled.  
" No one knows anything." Tenchi said.  
" This is a mystery. Well, I guess the only thing we can do is..." Washu paused for effect, and glanced unnoticeably at Ryoko. " Not worry about it. It'll solve itself." Face fault all.   
" Isn't there something else we can do, Washu?"   
" We could go down to my lab and play doctor." Washu said. Tenchi sweat dropped, and mentally wondered how he had this much sweat.  
" MOM!" Ryoko shouted. She teleported down and wrapped herself around Tenchi. " Tenchi's mine."   
" Oh by the way little Ryoko. Can I have it back?" Washu held out her hand, as if expecting something. Ryoko looked guiltily at Washu.  
" Why Washu, can you have what back?"  
" The item that according to my security camera's you stole last night from my lab." Ryoko feigned ignorance.  
" What do you mean Washu? I didn't..." She looked around and it was obvious no one believed her. "Fine." She gave up and reached down her dress with one arm, holding Tenchi close with the other and pulled it out from down her dress and between her cleavage, then handed it to Washu.   
" Have to wash this first." Washu murmured. Ryoko scowled at her again. Washu examined the device for a moment. It was made of a green, semi-transparent crystal, but no obvious controls. Mihoshi, who was standing on the walkway above, caught sight of it and was immediately intrigued.   
" Oooh. That looks pretty. What is it Washu?" Ryoko let loose a blast that destroyed the couch across the room from her with a loud boom. It erupted in flames, and burning pieces were sent flying across the room.  
" AHHH! Ryoko! Why did you do that?" Tenchi shouted in disbelief. He ran over and picked up some of the couch's charred remains.   
" Sorry Tenchi. I though I saw a fly."  
" So you tried to blow it up? Isn't that a little much!" He said, dropping the burnt pieces of furniture. He tried to rub the ashes off on his pants, but they clung to his skin. " I thought I told you and Ayeka no more laser blasts in the house."  
" Don't worry, Lord Tenchi." Washu said. " I apologize for my daughters lack of restraint, and will be happy to build you a new one."   
" Thank you, little Washu. Sometimes it seems like you and me are the only sane ones in the house."   
" Now lets see what Ryoko's trying to hide!" Washu shouted, thrusting the device above her head dramatically.  
" Wha... what makes you think I have anything to hide?" Ryoko nervously asked, eyeing the device as if it were a bomb.  
" Your spectacular yet ultimately ineffective attempt to change the subject, Ryoko. This is my newest invention." Washu said, bringing it down and started to work the controls. " It's a sophisticated holographic display device with a simplified voice command system and hyper advanced artificial intelligence unit."   
Mihoshi stared at her with a glossed over look, and Washu, anticipating the question replied before it ever left her mouth.  
" It's a thing that can not only create lifelike holograms of people or things, but make them act like them too. And it's controlled by voice, so you only need to say to say what you want it to create."  
But what did Ryoko want it for?" Kiyone asked. Ryoko gave her a cold stare. 'Damn, this is not good. If Tenchi sees that, he's going to figure out why Ayeka left. Don't turn it on, Don't turn it on.' She mentally chanted, and tried to think of a way to snatch it without looking to guilty.  
' I think Tenchi deserves to see what's on this.' Washu sent back telepathically, looking sympatectically at her daughter. " Replay memory." A beam of light swept out of the end of the device, and stopped at about six feet from it. It formed itself into Tenchi, wearing black pants, and a white shirt, like he might wear to school.   
" This is perfect." Ryoko's voice said.   
" Oh, it also records all local sound after it's activated." Washu added. Ryoko paled.   
" What is, Ryoko?" The Tenchi-hologram said. It looked off to the side, and then turned as if to look at someone.  
" Damn, this thing is good." Ryoko's voice said. " Freeze." The hologram paused. " Lets see. Take the shirt off, and make it so were about to make love." Its shirt disappeared. " Now once Ryo-ohki gets here, were all set." The hologram shimmered and disappeared, but reappeared a moment later. Tenchi's hands clenched as he started to figure out just what had happened the night before.  
" All right start again." Ryoko's voice said, with a little chuckle added after. "This is going to be great."  
" Ryoko, I've always had these feelings for you." The Tenchi-gram took several steps towards where Ryoko must have been when it was recorded. There was a sound as leaves crunched off screen.  
" Lo-lo-lord Tenchi what is going on here!?!"  
" I-Well, Ayeka. Ryoko and I... We came out here too..."   
" Lord Tenchi YOU CAN'T MEAN! That-that you and that monster woman are...?"   
" Ayeka, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I know I should have told you sooner but... I" The Tenchi-gram paused for a moment, then looked away.  
" Stop hologram." Ryoko's voice said, and she burst out laughing. " That was perfect. I wish I had a camera, I'd love to be able to see her face forever. She'll be pissed when she finds out tomorrow, and Tenchi might be too but it was worth it." More laughs then it turned off.  
" Tenchi, I never thought Ayeka would..." Ryoko began, in soft apologetic tones.  
" Shut up Ryoko." Tenchi said. His knuckles were white, and his face burned red. He never even looked at her, just walked off.   
Fifteen minutes later, a large tree in the forest by the Masaki shrine was shattered by a tremendously powerful blow from a bokuto.   
  
  
  
"Thanks a lot, Mom." Ryoko shouted. She stared coldly at Washu, arms crossed, hands clenched.  
" What does it matter Ryoko? Tenchi would have found out anyway." Washu countered.  
" No, he wouldn't have! The only evidence that I did it was in that thing." She motioned towards the holo-projector. " How else would he have found out?"  
" I would have told him. Or Ayeka would have, when she got back."   
" Oh wow. So Tenchi loves Ryoko now?" Mihoshi said. Washu glanced at Mihoshi, and rolled her eyes. She wanted to say something like 'Your never going to get much smarter, are you.' But contained herself. Mihoshi would just start crying uncontrollably for a few hours, complicating all their lives.  
" I'm sorry to interrupt," It was Yosho. Everyone jumped because no one heard him come in. "But why is Tenchi destroying the forest?" He said impassively, with his arms behind his back. He wore his usual dress of a white shirt with light blue pants.  
" Ayeka found out Ryoko and Tenchi were in love and I guess she was upset and now they've both disappeared and...." Mihoshi was silenced by Ryoko's hand over her mouth.  
" Ryoko tricked Ayeka into thinking that she and Tenchi were having sex and that he loved her last night, and now Ayeka and Sasami are missing." Washu calmly replied. Mihoshi muffled something, then a moment later reached up and yanked Ryoko's hand from her mouth.  
" You pressed to hard Ryoko. I couldn't breathe." She said, while gasping for air.  
" Sorry Mihoshi, that wasn't the plan." Ryoko unconvincingly replied.   
" Hmmm. That is a problem." Yosho said, eyes slowly going to Ryoko.  
" How was I supposed to know she'd freak out like that." Ryoko 'humph' and crossed her arms. " It's not like it's my fault. If you ask me she's the one who should..." *WAK* a small fan smacked Ryoko in the forehead.   
" Yeah well no one did." Washu said. Ryoko rubbed her forehead. Katsuhito seemed to pause for a moment. He raised his hand and adjusted his glasses.  
" I'm sure Ayeka will be ok." Katsuhito said. " She is a princess of Jurai, and she can take care of herself. And Sasami has Tsunami to protect her."   
" See, like I said, there's nothing to worry about. At least someone's on my side." Ryoko said. " I'm going to go find Tenchi." And hurriedly teleported off.  
  
  
Ryoko found Tenchi outside the cave, of all places. He was sitting on a stone near the entrance, his bokuto across his lap, and his chin in his hands. He was staring off into the forext. Ryoko teleported to the top of the cave, and stared down at him. So far, he hadn't seen her. She sat and watched him for a few moments, like she had so many times before Tenchi had freed her. Tenchi just sat there, quietly. Ryoko sighed. She hated seeing him in pain. Silently, she floated down behind Tenchi, then grabbed him in a hug.  
" Hey Tenchi!" She purred, gently caressing his chest. Shocked, he immediately pushed her away with force that surprised her. Seeing it was just Ryoko, he turned his back on her on started walking off.   
" Go away, Ryoko." He said quietly. ' Least he's not angry anymore.' Ryoko thought. She floated after Tenchi.  
" I'm sorry Tenchi. I didn't know Ayeka would freak out like that." She purred softly in his ear. He shrugged her off coldly, and kept walking. " I'm sure she's gonna be back. I mean she wouldn't do anything drastic like jumping off a bridge or anythig." Ryoko halted in mid-air. 'Well it was Ayeka... naw, she wouldn't.' She thought.  
" You just don't get it, Ryoko." Tenchi replied, without looking back.   
  
  
Dinner with the Masaki's was far from normal that night. Since Sasami and Ayeka hadn't returned, the only choices they'd had was to let Ryoko cook, as she had cheerfully volunteered to Tenchi, or eat out. They wisely choose to eat out. Mihoshi knew of a decent Chinese restaurant she often went too during patrols. Tenchi didn't ask why she was on Earth during her patrols of the solar system. No one talked that much. Several times Noboyuki or Washu had attempted to start a conversation, but their attempts always crashed and burned when Ryoko said anything. Tenchi would always make some retort, even though Yosho had scolded him several times for it, and had started an argument with her. So aside from Mihoshi's occasional outburst over some trivial thing, it was pretty quiet.   
Ryoko just felt like crap. She sighed as she thought back on the night. She'd watched Tenchi all evening, though he'd been avoiding her gaze. Instead his eyes were always watching his surroundings. Ryoko could guess why. He was looking for Ayeka. He must have thought that Ayeka had packed up and left his house. She'd tried to tell him that Tsunami transported them away. Ryo-oh-ki saw the whole thing, so she knew it too. But Tenchi wouldn't even let her talk to him. He just shrugged her away or told her to "Be quiet."   
As everyone finished and they left the restaurant, Ryoko tried a last ditch effort. As Tenchi used his father's keys to unlock the car and sat down, she teleported onto his lap, grasped his face, and kissed him deeply.   
" Tenchi, I really am sorry about Ayeka. If I could do it over again, I wouldn't do it all." She whispered quietly in his ear. 'Probably' she added mentally. Tenchi for his part was getting angrier by the minute, and was turning bright red. Outside the car, Washu smacked her head, wondering how stupid Ryoko could be, while Mihoshi just looked concerned. For a moment, Tenchi at first did nothing, then he put his hand back and slapped Ryoko hard across the face. Ryoko was stunned. Tears started streaming down her face and she teleported away.  
" Ummm... Tenchi?" Mihoshi said.  
" Yes Mihoshi?" Tenchi said, still rather angry.   
" Wasn't that kind of harsh, just now?"  
" No." He said politely.   
" Okay." Mihoshi said, not really convinced, but not wanting to press the subject. Noboyuki came out from the restaurant after settling the bill. He looked around a moment trying to figure out who was missing.  
" Hey Tenchi, Where's Ryoko?"   
" She went back by herself." Which was true, in a way. Yosho gave Tenchi a suspicious glance but let it drop.   
" I got shotgun!" Mihoshi shouted, and for once seemed like normal. Everyone piled into the car, and Tenchi handed the keys back to Noboyuki. Washu and Yosho choose a seat in the back, leaving Tenchi alone. He just stared out the window.  
" Oh wait! We have to go back! We forgot something very important!" Mihoshi shouted abruptly as the van started. Calmly, Washu reached into her pocket and handed a fortune cookie to Mihoshi.   
" No, we didn't." Washu said. Mihoshi gleefully ripped it open to get to the fortune. Pulling it out, she read.  
" 'Never act in anger. Take time to calm down.' What kind of fortune is that?"  
" A vague and meaningless one." Noboyuki replied.  
" Never mock the cookie!" was the reply from the backseat from both Washu and Yosho. Tenchi looked backwards incredulously.  
" You can't tell me you actually believe..." Noboyuki was abruptly cut off.  
" STOP THE CAR!" Tenchi screamed. Noboyuki slammed the breaks and Tenchi immediate threw open the door and dashed out. " AYEKA!"   
Everyone else looked towards the young woman Tenchi was running towards. It looked a little like Ayeka, but it was late and too dark to see well. She had long hair that looked vaguely purplish in the dim streetlight. Tenchi darted to her, still shouting Ayeka. She turned around and it was clear that she wasn't the missing Jurain princess. Tenchi apologized profusely for the mistake, and walked slowly back towards the car.  
" Poor Tenchi." Washu murmured.  
  
  
  
  
Part 1 is up. Enjoy, and feel free to R&R, but please be constructive, don't just say " You suck." 


	3. Jurai Blues Chapter 2 A little mother d...

Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd spend my time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Note: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're "modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.) Basically, everything that happened in the OAV happened here, but there are several differences, Kiyone being around one of the largest.  
  
Jurai Blues  
By James Kane (Or Confucioussays, if you prefer)  
  
  
Ryoko's cheek still stung from the slap Tenchi gave her, but the tears had stopped. They had too; they froze as soon as they came out. She picked a rock off the ground and put all her strength into a baseball pitch, and it sailed off into eternity, easily escaping the lower gravity of the moon. She had discovered this place a while back, as a place to be alone and not have to worry about any Earthlings seeing her use her powers. No human, or most any other species, could survive in the vacuum of space. But Ryoko could. She wondered if that was part of the reason Tenchi didn't like her. Because she was some sort of... freak.  
She flushed with anger at the thought, and took it out on the small mountain she was sitting on, reducing it to rubble in the process. 'I'm not some sort of freak.' She mentally. ' I'm a woman. Just because I can fly and shoot laser blasts and phase through matter doesn't mean I'm a monster.' She growled in frustration, or would have had their been any air to carry sound, and blew up another hill. She gave up and let herself fall onto the thick dust of the lunar surface, spraying a plume dozens of feet high. ' But Tenchi still doesn't love me.' She sighed, and laid in the dust for a while, even as the dust began to settle on her face. It began to remind her a bit of the cave, but even that thought was insignificant next to what was on her mind. 'Tenchi doesn't love me.' The words were bitter and silent in her mouth, but there was no other explanation in her mind. With a silent sigh, she started making her way back to Earth. She wanted to just pick up what few belongings she had and dissapear into space, but she decided to sleep on it before she decided..  
It was late at night when she finally got back, but unfortunately some people were still up. She'd hoped to be able to be alone for a while, but she could still see Mihoshi, and Washu moving around inside. She opened the door and headed in scowling, hoping to avoid any conversation on the way to her room. Too bad Mihoshi couldn't take a hint.  
" Oh hi Ryoko." Mihoshi cheerfully said. Everyone turned his or her attention to Ryoko, who just scowled and began to turn away. But then something in the back of her mind kicked in. She didn't like being alone. Spending seven hundred years locked alone in a cave can do that to someone. She teleported from the stairs to a point above the couch, and gently settled down.  
" Tenchi's still mad, isn't he?" It was a stupid question, and Ryoko knew it.   
" He's calmed down a little bit from the morning. I think he's started getting over it." Washu replied, not even bothering to look up from her computer.  
" I suppose that's good." Ryoko hopefully replied.  
" But he's still saying he wished he'd never met you." Mihoshi mindlessly chimed in. Washu threw her a mean look, but Mihoshi smiled back obliviously.   
" He's.... He's saying that?" Ryoko pitifully murmured.   
" Yep." Mihoshi added. Ryoko was about to strangle the airhead, but Washu looked away from her computer long enough to see the murder about to be committed.  
" Lord Tenchi is just angry. He'll calm down eventually." Washu said. Ryoko stared angrily at her mother, but sighed inwardly and put the sofa down she was going to use to crush Mihoshi. " Can you really blame him for being angry?" Washu picked up her equipment and started towards her lab. " Love to stay and chat, but my data is not going to input itself." And she slammed the door shut while making a mental note to invent a way for data to input itself.  
" I guess I can't blame him for loving someone else." Ryoko silently chided herself. " Do you think what I did to Ayeka was that bad?"  
" What did you do to Ayeka?" Mihoshi asked mindlessly as Ryoko face faulted.  
" Well I can see I'm not going to get any more intelligent opinions tonight. I'm going to bed." She teleported  
" Okay. Good night then." Mihoshi said, oblivious to the fact she'd just been insulted.  
  
  
  
A cool wind blew of the lake, and gently ruffled the shirt of Tenchi Masaki. Tenchi stood at the end of the pier in front of his house, grasping a stone in his hand. Its coolness chilling his skin. He put his arms back, and then brought it forward, releasing the rock. The rock skipped several times, then he lost sight of it in the dark, only hearing it's final splash.  
" Kinda like life." Tenchi muttered sadly. You could only see ahead so far. He wished he could see far enough to see Ayeka coming back. Tenchi felt as if a piece of him had gone when she left.   
" Oh Ayeka," he said, staring at the skies. He hoped maybe he was looking at her. " I love you so much. If only Ryoko hadn't been in the way, I might have told you my true feelings sooner and this would never have happened. God damn Ryoko!" He shouted. He turned back to the house, but as he did so, there was a subtle hum, and the area in front at the front of the dock seemed to grow brighter. A form appeared, that of a young girl. Ayeka, Tenchi suddenly realized. His heart almost lept through his chest. Ayeka stood before him in a scarlet Jurain robe, with a red-orange kimono underneath. She must have teleported down from a Jurain ship. His heart jumped and he ran to her, only to be stopped by her outstretched arm on his chest. As the light faded and the cherry blossoms fell, he could see her cheeks were puffy, as if she'd been crying recently. In fact, there were still traces of tears in her eyes, Tenchi noticed. She turned away, unable to look him in the eye any longer.  
" Lo-Lord Tenchi." She stuttered. " I have come back to apologize. The manner in which I acted... it was unbecoming of a princess of Jurai."  
" It's alright Ayeka. Ryoko..." He tried to say, but Ayeka cut him off.  
" It's alright. If you love Ryoko more than me. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I'm sorry. I don't care if you love Ryoko." But the tears in her eyes said otherwise. She turned her back to him to hide the tears, her Jurain robes fluttering slightly. " I can't stay long. I promised my father I would come home soon."   
" It's okay Ayeka. You see, Ryoko used this thing she took from Washu. What you saw wasn't real, just a hologram." Ayeka whipped around, eyes bright, a smile nearly tearing her face in half.  
" Oh Tenchi!" She shouted, the joy clear in her voice. " Do you love me then?"   
" Yes Ayeka. I love you!" They threw themselves into each other's arms.  
" More than Ryoko?"  
" A dozen times more. A hundred even." He whispered into her ears. She responded by holding him tighter.  
" I will never leave you again Tenchi." She cried, weeping with joy.  
" But what about Jurai?" Tenchi asked. They let each other go reluctantly. Ayeka felt her cheeks flush.   
" Screw Jurai!" She proclaimed. Tenchi was a little shocked by this, but even more so when she took his hand and placed it on her breast. " Or better yet, screw me." She said, smiling seductively. Tenchi almost said no, 'but they both loved each other, so how was it wrong?' he rationalized.  
" Okay." He took his hand from her breast, and took her hand in his. " We can do it in Ryoko's room."  
" Won't Ryoko mind? Won't she try and stop us?" She said, perplexed.  
" Of course not, Ryoko died a painful death not too long ago." He replied.  
" Alrighty then." Then continued to walk until they reached the end of the pier, then stopped, and kissed each other deeply, while a camel passed behind them.  
  
  
" Tenchiiiiiii!" Ryoko screamed. She flew into a sitting position into a sitting position as she collected her thoughts. She knew Tenchi and Ayeka were on the docks, about to have sex. She never bothered wondering how she knew it. If she could sweat she'd be covered in it. She quickly teleported to the back of the house to the dock, but found nothing, only heard the gentle lapping of the water against the pier. She collapsed in a heap, completely exhausted from worry.   
" It was all a nightmare. Thank Goodness." She told herself. She looked around again, not quite convinced. She smiled weakly as she finally accepted it.   
" What's going on?" Someone shouted from inside the house. Ryoko looked back at the house in time to see several lights flicker on. She'd probably woken up the entire household. 'Damn.' She though, ' as if I hadn't done enough to piss everyone off.' She went back to the house, walking this time. 'Oh well, it was almost morning anyway.' She thought, as she noticed the sun coming up gently over a mountain. She headed back inside, all the while wondering what that camel meant in her dream.  
  
  
  
" More tea, Tenchi?" Ryoko offered the small kettle to Tenchi, who gave her a cold stare and pushed it away.  
" No thanks, Ryoko." She frowned at this newest injury, but accepted it. 'At least he's speaking to me now.' She thought. She put the kettle back down, and it was picked up by Yosho. Mihoshi and Noboyuki sat opposite Ryoko and Yosho, while Tenchi sat on one end and Washu on the other.  
" Tenchi, please be more polite to our guests." Yosho said, never raising his voice but sounding as if he were shouting.  
" Maybe I would be if our guests wasn't constantly blowing up the house or waking us up in the middle of the night." He griped. Yosho stared unwaveringly.   
" Be that as it may, Ryoko is still a guest in our house. Please treat her with respect." Tenchi glared at Ryoko for no real reason, then looked back to Yosho.  
" Yes, Grandfather." He nodded his agreement, and then went back to his breakfast. Since Sasami still hadn't come back, so they'd had to survive on poorly prepared rice courtesy of Mihoshi. She'd volunteered while they were too tired to think and say no.   
" Your absolutely right grandfather. I should be more polite to our guests." Ryoko looked back at Tenchi, hoping longingly for an apology or compliment of any kind. But Tenchi turned to Mihoshi. " Mihoshi, thank you very much for making breakfast this morning. It's really very good." He said, holding back a gag. The blonde blushed slightly, and giggled.  
" Your very welcome Tenchi. I mean it wasn't any big deal. You don't have to flatter me so much, I mean I just threw some rice in pot and I put some water in it and..." she trailed off into a giggling fit. Noboyuki for his part seemed entranced by the way her chest bounced as she giggled, at least until Washu's fan smacked him in the head.  
" Pervert."  
Tenchi made a point of reaching for the rice, even though Ryoko could have easily have handed it to him. After taking a few mouthfuls, Ryoko noticed Tenchi's gaze seemed to gloss over a moment, like he was deep in thought, and he turned to Washu.  
" There hasn't been any word yet? About Ayeka and Sasami?"   
" Not yet Tenchi."  
" Don't worry about her. Ayeka is a princess of Jurai. She can handle herself." Yosho spoke up.  
" I know that Grandpa, but I mean, they haven't even called, or let us know where they are since yesterday. They could have at least let us known they were okay." Tenchi's played a bit with the rice. He wasn't all that hungry.  
" Be kind of hard since they're not on the planet." Ryoko's statement drew stares from around the table. Tenchi's hand seemed to quiver over his rice.  
" Ryoko, what did you do to Ayeka and Sasami!" He shouted, slamming down his rice, and nearly jumping over the table at Ryoko. Everyone else drew back, surprised at Tenchi's explosion.  
" Tenchi!" She drew back defensively. " I didn't do anything to the princesses, honest. They just..." Tenchi cut her off.  
" Then how do you know what happened to them?"   
" Because of Ryo-oh-ki." It was Washu who spoke, gently placing her breakfast on the table. Her face was impassive, but she sounded slightly... angry. " Ryo-oh-ki saw them leave through Yosho's funaho. Apparently Tsunami transported them off planet. My foolish daughter just didn't say anything because you didn't seem to want to listen." Tenchi calmed down a bit, returning to his seat.   
" I'm sorry... Ryoko. I jumped to conclusions." He said, almost as an after thought. And he went back to eating breakfast. The room remained silent for the rest of the morning.  
  
  
  
After breakfast, everyone started going about his or her usual lives. Mihoshi found a spot in front of the TV, watching some Sailor Moon re-runs. Washu disappeared into her lab, madly laughing under her breath of course, while Noboyuki left for work, Yosho left for the shrine, Tenchi left for school, and Ryoko had her own things to do.   
" Here Ryo-oh-ki!" Ryoko sat on the wet earth by the lake, opposite of Tenchi's house, with a small bag in her lap. The cabbit, meanwhile, sat nearby doing it's best to ignore Ryoko. " Oh, come here!" She demanded.  
" Miya." The cabbit gave her a brief look, then hopped a step forward a step. Sighing, Ryoko went to plan B.  
" Oh Ryo-oh-ki, look what I've got for you." She reached into the bag and pulled out a familiar orange object. " I've got a carrot for you, Ryo-oh-ki." This got the cabbit's attention, who miya'd and did a quick 180 and made if halfway to Ryoko before stopping. The little cabbit stared at the carrot, then at Ryoko, then back at the carrot.   
" Come on, Ryo-oh-ki. It's not a tough decision." The cabbit seemed to disagree. Then, summoning all her will power, Ryo-oh-ki turned around and hopped away.   
" Fine, be that way." She said, then turned her back on the cabbit, only to teleport away and into the cabbit's path. She swooped down and picked up the cabbit, then flew about twenty feet straight up.  
" Miya. Miya!" The cabbit struggled, but Ryoko's grasp was like iron.   
" I'm sorry Sasami left, but it's not like I meant for that to happen." She said, while gently stroking the cabbit's back. " How long are you gonna stay mad at me?" From the way the cabbit glared at her, pretty long it seemed.  
" Ryo-oh-ki's not mad at you because Sasami's gone, at least not entirely." Ryoko looked down to see, standing by the lakeside, Washu, apparently on break from whatever experiment she had been running. She had her hands clasped behind, and she wore a white smock over her normal black shirt and shorts. She was looking straight up at her daughter, her face a calm, but with a hint of humor.  
" So what is Ryo-oh-ki mad about, Washu? If you're so smart tell me. She won't let me know." Ryoko asked, trying to sound annoyed, but failing miserably. She stroked ryo-oh-ki as most would a cat. Washu didn't answer, just activated her computer, opened up a small hole in space-time, and withdrew something long and conical.  
" I have a carrot for you, Ryo-Chan." Washu held the carrot at arms length, and in an instant the cabbit had freed itself, falling straight into Washu's open arms. Ryo-oh-ki nearly inhaled the carrot. In a huff, Ryoko turned away and started floating across the lake and back to the house.  
" Fine. Be that way you little rat." Ryoko said, dejected. She didn't make it halfway before she felt herself being pulled backwards and downwards, towards Washu. Faster and faster she fell, unable to break free until she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her butt. She shouted while reaching behind her and pulled out a small metal fork.  
" Oops." Washu said, ignoring the growling Ryoko. " In order to get you back here, I created a quasi-black hole in order to bring you back, and channeled the gravimetric forces through the fork." She shrugged. " Didn't think it would be that strong." She struck a very proud and child like pose that perfectly displayed why she was called Chan. " Guess even I don't know how great a genius I am."   
" And you did this to me why?" Ryoko shouted, still clutching the fork, and waving it around. It would have been very menacing if she hadn't at the same time been rubbing her butt to try and dull the pain. Washu, for her part, still looked cute. She took the fork in one hand, and the collar of Ryoko's shirt with another and started pulling her towards the onsen.  
" It's about time we had a mother-daughter chat." She said, suddenly serious.  
  
  
  
The warmth of the water in the onsen helped Ryoko forget about the pain, from where the fork pierced her and in her heart. They had entered the onsen almost a half hour ago, and they'd said nothing since they'd undressed. Ryoko had just found a place, and let the hot water wash over her as she reflected on what was happening between her and Tenchi. Ryo-Ohki had found a place on the other side of the onsen and lay basking in the sun and warmth. Washu had done the same for about fifteen minutes, then realizing that Ryoko was in no hurry, began to wash her hair, and occasionally glancing towards her unusually quiet and contemplative daughter. She was about halfway finished when Ryoko finally spoke.  
" Why?" The question caught Washu by surprise. She put down the brush she was using, and turned to look at Ryoko.  
" Why what?"   
" You said Ryo-Ohki wasn't mad at me because Sasami left. Why is she mad then? She won't tell me, and she's closed our link." Ryoko said. Her voice was calm and unemotional, but her eyes spoke volumes more, and they were not happy.  
" Ryo-Ohki isn't angry at you because Sasami left. She's angry because you used her to do it." She paused briefly, and then continued. "We both know what happened the other night. You saw Ayeka that night as you were leaving, and you had Ryo-Ohki lead her to you. She's not stupid Ryoko, she figured it all out just like I did." Washu didn't use her customary know-it-all-because-I'm-the-greatest-scientist-in-the-universe tone, but a softer, more motherly tone. Ryoko looked away, thoughts drifting back to Tenchi.  
" Make's sense." She relaxed and dropped to her neck in the hot water. She continued to stare, and Washu didn't want to ask what was going through her head. A moment later, Ryoko turned back to Washu.  
" You know, I had the strangest dream last night."  
" I figured that shouting must have been about something."  
" Ayeka came back. She was so pitiful that Tenchi fell instantly in love with her.  
" Where were you?" Washu asked.  
" Tenchi said I died." Ryoko said. Washu just nodded an acknowledgement. Ryoko grew quiet again. Her eyes fell, and stared unfocused into the water.   
" Probably the way he'd like it too." Washu's eyes narrowed in curiosity at the last comment.  
" What do you mean?" Washu asked. Ryoko looked at Washu, then smiled a tiny smile and chuckled a bit.  
" If it's obvious to me, then it should be obvious to the greatest scientific genius in the universe. Tenchi loves Ayeka. If he didn't then he wouldn't be so mad at me."  
" Kacho-Sen!" Washu heaved a paper fan at Ryoko and hit her square in the fore-head. The sudden attack was enough to snap her out of the pool self-pity fit she was in, exactly as Washu had planned.  
" What was that?" She shouted, rubbing the sore spot on her head, and giving Washu a nasty look.   
" Just something I saw in one of Mihoshi's animes. I just had to bring you back to your senses." Washu said impatiently. Then she calmed a bit. " But I suppose I can't blame you for not knowing these things, even though you are the daughter of the greatest genius in the universe. I've met so many people who had great minds, though not as great as mine of course," She added. " But great minds still who could challenge the laws of physics and remake the universe," She paused for effect. " but couldn't get a date to save their life." Ryoko stared at her mother for a second before she spoke.  
" Are you saying Tenchi doesn't like me because I'm too smart?" It was all Washu could do to keep herself from drowning. She nearly fell over laughing and clutching her side. " You didn't have to be so mean." Ryoko said, beginning to stand up. Washu stopped laughing, though still smiling, and held out her hand to stop her.   
" Wait, wait. I'm sorry, little Ryoko." Ryoko scowled at the name, but saw the sincerity in Washu's face, and stopped. " I just didn't realize that you didn't get so much."   
" Get what? What is it I'm not getting?"  
" Tenchi isn't upset because he loves Ayeka. He may have feelings for Ayeka, or he may have feelings for you, or Mihoshi or me for that matter, but whichever one of you he loves, he still wants to be friends with the others. If he falls in love with someone, he will not immediately cast out all other females from his house, and you shouldn't want him too. Tenchi thinks of you and Ayeka as family, regardless of any feelings he may have for either of you, especially Ayeka because she is family. You have done nothing less then seriously hurt one of Tenchi's closest friends."   
Ryoko seemed to want to argue the point but a thoughtful look came over her face. ' She's got a point.' Ryoko thought to herself. ' I've thought of Ayeka as a competitor so long, I became more focused on her and didn't think about how Tenchi would feel.'   
" Exactly." Washu said.  
" Get out of my head!" Ryoko growled. " If I wanted you to know what I felt I'd just tell you." Washu sighed, nodded, and stopped paying attention to Ryoko's thoughts.  
" I'm sorry I had to be the one to break it to you Ryoko, but what you did was very stupid."   
" Well, if you're so smart, mom, what do you think I should do now?" Ryoko said, with a bit of anger still in her voice.  
" Simple. Leave." Ryoko looked speechlessly at Washu for a moment, then bellowed at Washu.  
" That's it? That's your advice? Greatest scientific genius in the universe, and that's all you can think of? Leave!?! How could that possible help me in this situation!" Ryoko stared at Washu wide eyed. Washu, for her part, still seemed calm and collected, and calmly and collectively nodded her head.  
" Yes, leave. Every time Tenchi sees you, he remembers what you did. If you left, he would have time to come to terms with what happened, and forgive." She poured herself some sake from the floating tray. " Plus, though many Earth sayings are just meaningless drivvle," 'A stitch in time saves nine my ass' she thought. " It is none the less true that absence makes the heart grow fonder." Ryoko looked at Washu a moment, then looked up at the sky.  
" I guess your right." There was a quiet 'Whoosh' as she teleported and Washu craned her neck to one side to watch as Ryoko quickly dried off and got dressed. Then she floated up to the top of the onsen, where Ryo-oh-ki lay, sunning herself on a rock, a picked up the cabbit.   
" Come on, Ryo-oh-ki, lets go find Sasami." The cabbit quickly stopped it's struggles and miya'd her excitement. Ryoko glanced back at Washu, and smirked.  
" I started this, so it would only be right that I was the one who fixed things. When you see Tenchi, tell him I'm sorry, and that I..." She paused for a moment, then what might have been a drop of water from her still wet hair, or what Washu thought was more likely a tear, rolled down her cheek. " Tell Tenchi I love him." And she teleported outside. A moment later the spaceship Ryo-oh-ki passed overhead.  
" Well I'll be damned." Washu chuckled. " Looks like she did get some of her mothers brains."  
  
  
=====Earlier, at the Carrot field=====  
  
"Oh Tenchi!" A bubbly woman's voice shouted. Tenchi looked up from his work to see Mihsohi bounding down the road. He gave a hard yank and pulled a carrot out of the ground, then lifted it above his head and waved. Mihoshi covered her mouth and giggled at site of the carrot flopping above his head. She walked over and kneeled down next to him.  
" Can I help you with something, Mihoshi?" He said, flinging the carrot into a near-by basket. Mihoshi clapped as it went straight in.  
" That was a really good shot Tenchi."  
" Thanks Mihoshi." He smiled at her. " Did you need something, or just stop by to say hi?"  
" Oh right. I just came down to see if you needed any help harvesting the carrots?" Tenchi was slightly surprised by this, since Mihoshi had never offered before, but he just smiled and said...  
" Sure thing. Could you pick up the basket? I could work more quickly if I didn't have to stop and move it every few feet."   
" Of course Tenchi." Mihoshi said, leaning over and picking up the basket. " So how's your day going, Tenchi?"  
" It could be better." He said, tossing a carrot into the basket. " Normally Ryo-oh-ki's out here, at least, to help me, but I haven't seen her at all today."   
" I think I saw her by the lake this morning." She said, continuing to move the basket.   
" I wonder what's keeping her. Normally you can't keep her away from the field at harvest. You know Ryo-oh-ki and carrots." He said.  
" Yeah, just like a rabbit and carrots." Mihoshi giggled, and despite how bad the joke was, Tenchi found himself laughing as well. It felt good to get his mind off the events of the past days. Tenchi and Mihoshi chatted for a while, and Tenchi found himself pleasantly surprised by how quickly time seemed to pass with someone to talk too. Normally, it was just him and Ryo-oh-ki out here. To their credit, both Ayeka and Ryoko had volunteered to help him out after they had come to Earth, but both had proved to destructive to the harvest, with their constant fighting to be close to him.   
Washu had volunteered to invent a machine that could plant and harvest the carrots in no time. Tenchi had been about to except, but then grandfather had stepped in and reminded him that this work was part of his training as well. 'Thanks Grandpa.' He thought.  
Tenchi found the time flew by. Even when Mishoshi tripped on a rock and sent an entire basket load scattering across the field, they seemed to pick them up in no time at all. He was amazed when they had finished in what had seemed like a half hour, and were on they way back, and Mihsohi had gotten into a story about her old galaxy police days that seemed to be getting less and less believable by the minute.  
" So then I said to the smuggler chief ' You'd better surrender or you'll be in trouble. Resisting arrest carries an extra charge.' And they pulled out their guns, so I..." Tenchi's mind drifted off. It wasn't because Mihoshi's story wasn't interesting, which it wasn't but he could still pay attention to it. He was doing it because for the past five minutes he'd been hearing a strange beeping noise. After a few moments, he'd tracked it to Mihoshi's... well whatever it was she wore like a watch.   
" Mihoshi, what's beeping?" She stopped her story to peer around for a moment, then giggled a 'whoops' and touched a button, while losing her grip on the basket, juggling it for a second then spilling it all over the road. Tenchi bent over to pick them up with Mihoshi.  
" Mihoshi, where have you been? I've been trying to get in touch with you." Said a voice from the watch. It was one Tenchi heard rarely, but knew to be yukinojo, the main computer in Mihoshi's ship.  
" I've been helping Tenchi with the carrots." She said.  
" Well, you were SUPPOSED to start your inspection of the solar system over an hour ago." He said.   
" Oh shoot-bunnies." Mihoshi said, putting the last carrot back in the basket. She touched the button again. " All right, Yukinojo, just let me put these carrots away, then we'll go."   
" Have to get to work, eh, Mihoshi? It's okay, you can go, I'll just take these myself." He reached for her basket, but Mihoshi just grasped it tighter.  
" I'll take this to the shed with you. Then I'll go." She said. Then an idea seemed to hit her, and her eyes brightened. " I know Tenchi, you could come with me. You've never seen the other planets in this solar system, right?"   
" I couldn't. Mihoshi, really I couldn't. What if something ever happened?"  
" Oh, it'll be okay. Nothing ever happens. It's very boring. I could actually use the company." She said. Tenchi sweat dropped. It started to occur to him that maybe this wasn't as coincidental as Mihoshi had seemed. He'd never suspected Mihoshi of anything like this. He kicked himself mentally. ' I'm just being paranoid. This is Mihoshi. Maybe if it were Ayeka or Ryoko, but not Mihoshi.'  
" I think I'd like that." 


	4. Jurai Blues Chapter 3 Whatever happened...

Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd spend my   
time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I   
make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please   
don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Note: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're   
"modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.) Basically,   
everything that happened in the OAV happened here, but there are several   
differences, Kiyone being around one of the largest.  
  
Jurai Blues  
By James Kane (Or Confucioussays, if you prefer)  
  
=====Mihoshi's Galaxy Police Vessel, near Mars=====  
  
" And this is the engine room!" Mihoshi said cheerfully. Tenchi looked   
in looked at the cluttered room, filled with pipes, glowing rods, and assorted   
buttons. It reminded Tenchi of Washu's lab, and he got a cold feeling of dread   
remembering what usually happened whenever Mihoshi went in there. He silently   
prayed she wouldn't press any buttons.  
" Let's see..." She put her hand on her chin in an accidental   
impersonation of 'The Thinker'. " This is the... molecular fusion inducer...   
no, it's the corbomite, no.... what is it? Errrr." She lightly hit herself in   
the head, and started talking to herself. " I had to memorize them all at the   
academy. What was that rhyme?" She stood in thought for a several seconds,   
then blurted out " Oh yeah. Mom Said You Couldn't Have A Toad For The Equinox."   
She smiled, pleased with herself, until her face darkened again. " But what   
did it mean?" Then, she shrugged, and turned to Tenchi. " I can't remember.   
Anyway, I'd show you around, but Yukinojo doesn't like me going in there for   
some reason."   
" Looks very high-tech." Tenchi said, as they moved on. Tenchi was   
really impressed, though he had to admit to himself, he hadn't been on a lot of   
space ships to compare it too. Just Ryo-oh-ki and Soja, and those were both the   
works of super-geniuses, so of course they would be more advanced. As it was,   
this tiny looking ship had a full galley, cargo bay, 2 jail cells, and a first   
aid room with some advanced looking robot arms.  
" Oh it is. In fact, it's a prawntype, er, prototype ship the Galaxy   
Police are testing." They came to another door, which didn't open. Mihoshi   
pulled her control cube out and started turning it. Two minutes, a cup of hot   
tea, 3 scented candles, and a bowl of petunias later, the door swished open. "   
This is my room." She said, while motioning grandly in. For the most part, it   
was exactly as Tenchi expected. Cluttered beyond belief, with barely a piece of   
floor showing.   
" Oops." Mihoshi sweat dropped. " I guess I should have cleaned up a bit   
first. Sorry. This will only take a minute." She hurried into the room, and   
began trying to sort the army of dirty dishes, boxes, books, and clothing until   
eventually giving up. " Sorry, I'll clean it up later," and she dumped an   
armload of clothes onto the bed. She motioned to the door across the hallway.   
" That room used to be Kiyone's, but I don't go in there anymore." She   
seemed to darken a bit as she said this, her nearly eternal smile dampening   
slightly. She didn't say anything more, just started walking towards a pair of   
double doors.  
" Mihoshi, where have you been?" Said a voice as the door slid open. It   
looked at her, then seemed to blink, and looked at Tenchi. " And may I remind   
you that Section 8, article 16b of the galaxy Police code, civilians are not   
allowed on Galaxy police ships except during emergencies."  
" I'm sorry Mihoshi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you trouble."   
Tenchi said.  
" Oh don't be silly Tenchi. Yukinojo this is Tenchi, it's okay."   
Yukinojo sweat dropped.   
" Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you were Lord Tenchi, of the   
Jurain royal family."  
" It's okay. And just call me Tenchi."   
" Good. We're all getting along now." She walked forward and plopped   
down in one of the two chairs. Tenchi looked around a bit. It looked kind of   
like an airplanes cockpit, only not as cramped. There were two chairs, both   
facing toward a large window and a control panel with a large number of switches   
and buttons.  
After a moment, Mihoshi noticed Tenchi standing around and motioned him towards   
the other seat. Tenchi sat down and looked out the window. He had never seen   
so many stars. The light of so many never got through the atmosphere. It was   
so beautiful, so... romantic. He shook the thought a way. There was no way   
Mihoshi was thinking that. He turned to see if she was looking at him, but she   
had apparently become engrossed in her mail, and was scrolling down on a screen,   
paying no attention to him at all.   
It was at that moment that his eyes fell on a red marble, floating outside   
the window. Mars. He'd never seen it like this before. It had always been   
through poor resolution photos from probes Earth had sent out. Its beauty was   
immeasurable.  
" How pretty." Mihoshi cooed. Tenchi looked over his shoulder to see   
Mihoshi staring up at the planet. Tenchi couldn't help but notice there was   
something in her eye, some emotion he couldn't determine. Could it be love?   
But then again, it could just be Mihoshi being as unreadable as ever. "I never   
noticed that one before."  
" It's Mars. It's actually named after an ancient war god."  
" Well that's weird." She said. She looked at him and a smile crossed   
her face. " I got an idea Tenchi."   
" Erm...What is it Mihoshi?" Mihoshi's smile had put him slightly off.   
" I think we should do something together."  
" What exactly do you want to do?" He sweat dropped. Was she really   
talking about having sex? Tenchi's mind blanked. 'She must be. Being all   
helpful, then taking him for a romantic ride.' He thought. ' I'm going to   
tell her to take me home.'  
" Something Kiyone and I used to do all the time."  
'What!?" Tenchi thought. His mind went into overdrive as he thought over   
this new revelation. Mihoshi had never Seemed bisexual, but if he was right...   
Unfortunately while his mind was offline, his mouth continued to work   
" Sure." He heard himself say. 'How could I just say that?' He   
thought. 'Now I'm really in trouble.'  
" Okay then, I'll go get the game board." She said, and she hopped up   
and rushed out the door, not noticing Tenchi's face fault.   
' Game?' He thought. 'Geez, I'm getting so paranoid.' And he picked   
himself up  
Mihoshi returned a few moments later, carrying what looked like a   
futuristic version of shoots and ladders. Mihoshi set it on the divider between   
the chairs, and set it up. It looked simple enough. Spin a wheel to determine   
how far to move, and either do nothing, go on a slide, or pick up a card.   
It wasn't a great game, but Tenchi had a good time. Mihoshi even convinced   
Yukinojo to join the game. They played for about an hour, and then took a short   
break to throw things from the galley into Jupiter's Great Red spot. Afterwards   
they went to the galley, where Mihoshi put together a meal from some things from   
the fridge.   
Still, though, Tenchi was still bothered by a nagging feeling the back of   
his mind that there was more to this then there seemed. Mihoshi HAD after all,   
was acting strangely. She'd never offered to help him in the fields before.   
Finally, he gathered the courage to ask her. He took a sip of some alien coffee   
blend, and then gently placed it on the table.  
" Mihoshi, was there a reason you've been so close to me today?" Mihoshi   
stopped in the middle of a long story she had been telling, and blushed   
slightly.  
" Well, sort of Tenchi. It just that, well," She dropped eye contact,   
and started arching her fingers nervously. " Oh, this is so embarrassing."   
Tenchi frowned inwardly. He hadn't wanted to believe that Mihoshi could have   
been so crass as to try and seduce him right after he'd had his heart broken.  
" It's just that you've been so unhappy lately, and you haven't been   
talking to anyone at all. And I thought to myself, 'What makes me happy when   
I'm sad.' And I thought what always makes me feel better is when I get together   
with my friends and do fun things. So I thought if I came and helped you..."   
Tenchi paused. She hadn't been trying to seduce him. She'd just been trying to   
make him feel better. Thinking back, he had been acting a bit anti-social. He   
couldn't have said more than twenty words since Ayeka left, and he'd lost his   
temper several times as well. He'd been wrong, and he knew it. He decided he   
would apologize to Mihoshi. Unless... The thought occurred to him, ' She could   
still be lying to me. Telling me she wanted to make me feel better to make me   
feel more at ease so that...' He mentally slammed the brakes. Mihoshi wasn't   
trying to seduce him. He had to stop the paranoia someplace, and this seemed to   
be as good as any. He couldn't keep suspecting everyone. I should be more   
trusting.  
'Does that mean Ryoko too?' He thought. He couldn't decide on an answer.   
Anyway, Mihoshi was talking to him, he realized.   
" Um, Tenchi? Tenchi?" She said, staring at him. " Hello?"  
" What is it Mihoshi?"  
" Yukinojo wants us on the bridge. He says he's detected a ship coming   
our way." She said.  
" Oh, Sorry." They left for the bridge, and Tenchi took Kiyone's old   
seat, while Mihoshi took hers.  
" All right, Yukinojo, what is it?" She said. The robot head appeared   
to think for a moment.  
" Analyzing. Analyzing. Sensors indicate that it is the space pirate   
Ryo-oh-ki."   
" What?" Mihoshi blanched. " A space pirate? Here? Yukinojo, arm   
weapons systems right now."  
" But Mihoshi," Yukinojo said, " According to your report, Ryo-oh-ki."  
" No time for talk Yukinojo. Let's prepare to engage the enemy."   
" Mihoshi, Ryo-oh-ki is the cabbit. She's our friend, remember?" Tenchi   
said.   
" Yukinojo. Open a channel."  
" Channel open." The ship replied.  
" Space Pirate, you are in violation of Jurain space and you will have   
stop and be arrested." Mihoshi said. A moment later, a hologram of Ryoko   
appeared in the middle of the room, and Tenchi's heart clenched.   
" Mihoshi, what are you doing?" She said.  
" Ryoko, what are you doing over there? Have you been kidnapped by the   
space pirate?"   
" Er, no. It's complicated. Listen, Mihoshi, I'm going to be gone for a   
while. Could you give Tenchi a message?"  
" Oh, Wait a moment." Mihoshi said, and she looked at Tenchi. Tenchi   
wildly made motions indicating that he was not there, but Mihoshi continued. "   
Tenchi's right here." The hologram shifted to Tenchi, who just looked at Ryoko.  
" Tenchi?" Ryoko said. Her eyes drifted towards the side of the screen,   
as she tried to see Mihoshi, and trying to figure out what exactly he was doing   
with her.   
" Hi Ryoko." He said uncomfortably.   
" Hi." She said. It was awkward and they both knew it. Neither said   
anything for a moment.   
" So you're going?" Tenchi said.   
" Yep. Off to look for Ayeka." She said. " I'll be back as soon as I   
find her."  
" Oh, well, good luck then." He said, and Ryoko smiled. It wasn't quite   
a compliment, but it was good enough.  
" Thanks. You too." She said, and the hologram flickered off.   
  
  
That night was a long a sleepless one for Tenchi. He lay in bed, curled up   
under his blanket. His mind kept floating back in forth between Ayeka and   
Ryoko. He was angry with Ryoko for what she had done, but what if it had been   
just a simple mistake? Certainly it was a large mistake, but it seemed like   
Ryoko was sorry about what she'd done, and not just because it had made Tenchi   
mad at her. Ayeka, on the other hand... It hurt Tenchi to think how easily she   
could think he had betrayed her. But, the thought occurred to him, had he   
really made her any promises that she might think he'd broke? He'd always tried   
to keep them both at arms length. So, why would she have any reason to believe   
he'd ever loved her?  
At about 5 in the morning, Tenchi decided no answers would come and went out   
onto the balcony. The night air was cold, and crisp. Tasted a bit like citrus,   
for some reason. He could see a light up towards Yosho's shrine. Perhaps he   
could answer some questions, seeing as he was both very wise and he had known   
Ayeka longer than Tenchi had. He stood out there for a long while, and watched   
the sun come up.  
At about this time Tenchi started getting a nagging feeling in the back of his   
mind, like he had forgotten something. He scratched the back of his head trying   
to figure out, but the answer stayed dark. Was he supposed to have done   
something today, maybe with Ayeka? Or maybe Sasami? Or Ryoko even? But no,   
nothing made it clearer. Shrugging it off, he threw on some random clothes and   
went downstairs. He noticed Mihoshi was spread out on the couch, apparently   
asleep, with a cup of sake nearby. After they had gotten back, it had already   
been dark, but Mihoshi had insisted that she needed to fill out a report, said   
it was standard procedure. Tenchi had wished her good night, then went off to   
his sleepless night. Apparently, Mihoshi had lost interest, as the report lay   
half finished on the table.  
As he reached the bottom step his attention was grabbed by a smell coming from   
the kitchen. Some one was cooking breakfast. His mind wondered briefly if   
Sasami might have come home, but he dismissed it as unlikely. He hurried into   
the kitchen to solve this little mystery.  
" Good morning, Lord Tenchi." Said a young happy voice. Washu stood over the   
counter, wearing an apron saying, " Be the cooks guinea pig".   
" Oh, little Washu. I didn't realize you were a chef too." He said, walking   
up behind her. " It smells great."   
" Thank you Lord Tenchi." Washu giggled a bit. " Actually it's a lot like   
chemistry. Liquid A with solid B and heat for X amount of time. Pretty   
simple." She stirred it a bit, then took out the spoon and pointed at Tenchi.   
" Just don't expect me to do this everyday." They both chuckled a bit.   
" I'm sure we'll be able to do something. Maybe I'll go out and buy some   
instant stuff today." He said. He noticed that Washu seemed to be looking over   
him from head to toe.  
" Is something wrong, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked.  
" Oh it's not really any of my business, Tenchi."  
" What isn't, Washu?"   
" Well, I knew Earth schools were generally more casual, but I thought they   
required more of a uniform that that."  
"School!" Tenchi paled. That's what had been forgetting. Summer break   
was over, school started again today. " Damn it, I'm going to be late."   
Tenchi rushed back upstairs and dug through his drawers for about ten minutes   
before he found where he'd put his uniform away last year. It fit a bit snugger   
than it had the year previous.   
He hurried back downstairs to grab his books, and saw Washu, arms crossed,   
staring at him.  
" Aren't you at least going to try what I made?" She said. " Good for   
nothing." She muttered under her breath.  
" Sure it's great, Little Washu but I really have to hurry. I'm going to   
be late as it is!" He said, grabbing his book bag.  
" Oh, don't worry about time Lord Tenchi." Washu said, reaching into her   
pocket and removed a small, non-descript looking white plastic case with a   
single red button on it. She gently pressed the button, and the world grew   
quiet. Very quiet. At first Tenchi thought it was just his imagination, but   
quickly realized that even the standard nature noises he had grown accustomed to   
had stopped. He looked out the window to see everything frozen. The waves on   
the lake stopped at the height of their motion, the trees stuck leaning right on   
a breeze. Clouds unmoving.  
" Er, Washu, what did you just do?"  
" It's my latest invention. It slows down time in a twenty-meter radius.   
Although time seems to pass normally in here, in reality you could stay here a   
month and only seconds would have really gone by."  
" Wow, that's really something, Little Washu. I guess I can stay for   
breakfast then." Washu latched onto his arm and dragged him into the kitchen.  
" Of course you can, Lord Tenchi."  
  
  
  
Zero point zero one seven seconds later Tenchi Masaki arrives at his   
school via a hyperspace tunnel, courtesy of Washu, not to mention quite full,   
also courtesy of Washu. Wandering through the crowded hallways he eventually   
made his way to his first class, English Language 2. Tenchi had gotten high   
marks in English 1, and was well on his way to being fluent. Of course, a   
translations device, yet another thing courtesy of Washu, hadn't hurt him a bit,   
and Tenchi was already thinking about taking several more foreign languages.  
Tenchi arrived several moments before the bell, and took a seat near the   
back window. Normally he was an attentive student, but the last few days'   
events had made his mind prone to wandering. He didn't even notice when a coin   
was tossed towards his head.   
" What? Hey." He said, rubbing his forehead.  
" Hey Tenchi, looks like we've got first period together." Hiroshi said,   
walking up and sitting down next to Tenchi.  
" Pretty cool, huh? Frankly I'm surprised I passed English last year,   
damn adjectives." Daisuke shrugged. " Well the hell do they get mice from. It   
should be mouses."  
  
**Authors note: No, I have not decided to make this a Ranma X-over. I just   
suck at making original characters, and somehow I don't think Amagasaki would   
still be friends with Tenchi when Tenchi punched him across the room into a wall   
(see OAV episode 1). So to clear up any questions, no, Tenchi does not go to   
Furinkan high school.  
  
Daisuke picked a seat behind Hiroshi.   
" What'cha doing sitting so far back here?" Hiroshi asked.  
" I just have something to think about." Tenchi motioned with his hand,   
as if brushing the question away. " So how was your summer?"   
" Heyyy, don't change the subject. What happened?" Daisuke said.   
Tenchi tried to brush the question away, but they were insistent.  
" Someone I liked left, and I don't know when she's coming back." He   
said. The duo nodded with faces solemn.  
" Broke up with one of your girlfriends. Which one was it? Hope it   
wasn't the blonde one. She was cute." Hiroshi said.  
" Naw it wasn't Mihoshi, I..." Tenchi blinked. " How did you know about   
Mihoshi? I don't think I ever mentioned her to you." Hiroshi smirked.  
" We saw you at the mall a couple of weeks ago. We were going to say hi,   
but then we noticed you were, ah, busy."  
" Three girls Tenchi? Leave some for us please." Daisuke joked.   
" Well, they're not really all my girlfriends. It's just..."  
" But what's with those two little kids? I mean, older women are all   
right, I guess, but moms?"  
" It's not like that, really!" Tenchi said, sweat dropping.  
" Ahem." Came a voice from the front of the class. " Do you three mind   
if I teach now. Some students here wish to learn." All three sweat dropped.  
" I'm sorry, Miss Tadaka." Daisuke apologized. He looked at Tenchi and   
whispered 'lunch'. Tenchi nodded and settled in for class. Tenchi was normally   
attentive, but today his eyes just stared out the window. He even missed it   
when the teacher called on him to answer a question. 'Teachers Pet' Hiroshi had   
jokingly mouthed when the teacher had exclaimed that Tenchi was her worst   
student ever. Tenchi had several classes after English, but none with Hiroshi   
or Daisuke. Tenchi met up with Hiroshi and Daisuke and they headed off campus   
to a local restaurant for lunch, one of the perks of being in a higher grade.   
" So which of those girls broke up with you, player-boy?" Daisuke said.  
" Well, none of them. It's complicated." Tenchi sighed. " One girl   
made another one think I hate her, then she left and I haven't seen her since."  
" Sorry. Did you like this girl?" Daisuke said.  
" I don't know. The more I think about it, the more confused I get. I   
wish I could just talk to her again." Tenchi stared into his drink for a   
moment, and then seemed to brighten. " But that's not important right now.   
What did you two do this summer?"  
  
  
  
  
Tenchi arrived back home at the shrine about an hour after school let out.   
He had decided to take a walk to try and sort out his feelings. As he   
approached home, he half-heartedly looked for Ayeka and Sasami, but again seeing   
no one. Tenchi just went upstairs and started on his homework. The next couple   
of days passed the same way, after school Tenchi would come home, and go   
straight to his room to do his homework, only coming down to eat. Washu even   
broke her word and kept cooking for the next few days.  
Until Thursday.  
Washu was sitting quietly watching a school of Hyper-nematodes flock by in   
the aquarium as she took a break from work. As they performed a barrel roll,   
she heard the familiar clanking, as the metal crabs she used as a door alarm   
were disturbed. Slightly annoyed, she turned to ask the intruder to come back   
later.   
" Lord Tenchi?" Washu said with surprise. Tenchi closed the door gently   
behind him. He hadn't bothered to change out of his school uniform, and it was   
pretty poorly wrinkled (Washu can't do laundry too, can she?).   
" Hello, Little Washu." He said somberly. " I was wondering if you had   
some sort of interstellar telephone or something?"   
" What do you need to do?" Washu asked.  
" Well, I was just thinking, you know, since Lady Ayeka hasn't contacted   
us, maybe we could contact her. But I don't know how to call Planet Jurai, let   
alone get in touch with the Royal family, so I was wondering if maybe you could   
help me."   
" Of course I have an transmitter. Contacting the Jurain royal family   
may be a little problematic, but it's nothing I can't handle." Washu said, as   
she hopped up from her chair. She motioned for Tenchi to follow her deeper into   
the lab. Tenchi gave a longing look back to the safety of his home, and then   
followed Washu. She led him to a large chamber, containing a screen comparable   
to that of a drive-in movie screen. Washu was sitting in a chair near the base.   
" So we can contact Jurai on this thing?" Tenchi said, staring up into   
the monstrosity, which was now displaying a screen saver of text saying "#1   
Genius Scientist" bouncing randomly across it.  
" Contacting Jurai is no big problem, anyone with a transmitter could do   
it. Mihoshi could probably do it too. If you really felt like it, you could   
hijack the SETI program and fire off a radio signal to Jurai, though it wouldn't   
get there for a couple hundred years." Washu said, as the started working. "   
No, the real problem will be getting in touch with the Royal family is going to   
be the difficult part."  
" Why would that be?"  
" Tenchi, do you think you could just call up the Emperor of Japan or the   
queen of England and say hi?"  
" I see your point." Tenchi said.  
" The Jurain royal family is very busy, and has people to screen out   
unimportant calls. If someone calls up claiming to be a long-lost member of the   
Jurain royal family, they probably will not get through." Washu sat and   
pondered a bit. " Before I could have used my power as the head of the science   
academy to get us through, but I've yet to re-establish myself since being freed   
from Kagato. And we also face the problem of who to talk too once we get   
through." Tenchi puzzled about this last comment.  
" Why wouldn't we just talk to Ayeka?" He asked.  
" We could try that, but seeing as she hasn't contacted us in this last   
week, I think it's a safe bet that she doesn't want to talk to you right now."   
She said sympathetically. " We should probably try and get to someone else to   
set up a conversation. It's no real secret that King Azusa doesn't like you too   
much, Tenchi, so we really shouldn't bother him. Queen Misaki isn't my first   
choice either, so that only leaves Lady Funaho."  
Tenchi sat down next to Washu. He didn't offer any suggestions because it   
was obvious to him he didn't know enough to be of any use.  
" We need a way to contact Lady Funaho directly, and quickly." Washu   
thought out loud. Her eyes unfocused as she turned all her attention to solving   
this latest puzzle. Suddenly she leapt up and pressed a few keys on her   
computer. " Of course, it's so simple. Two birds with one stone." The air   
nearby shimmered then parted as a hyperspacial doorway appeared. Washu ran   
through and Tenchi followed. He found himself in a large open space. It was   
brightly lit, and the floor was made of wood. He recognized it immediately, as   
he had spent a night in here once. It was the place where Ayeka had been   
growing the seed of Ryu-oh, her spaceship tree.   
" Ayeka left Ryu-oh here when she left. We can use it to contact Karin,   
Lady Funaho's tree." Washu said. Tenchi approached the tree, by now fairly   
large, about the size of a small oak. " We can use the master key, Tenchi-ken.   
Would you go get it, Tenchi?" Washu said. Then she noticed the look across   
Tenchi's face.  
" There may be a small problem. I guess I misplaced it, because I can't   
find it." Tenchi admitted sheepishly. He rubbed the back of his head in the   
way he did when he was nervous. Washu just sighed.  
" Well, if we can't use Tenchi-ken, I suppose there may be another way.   
But it will require more drastic measures." She turned to face Ryu-oh, and   
clasped her hands as if in prayer.  
" Ryu-oh," Washu said in a very child-like, pleading voice. " Would you   
pretty please contact Karin, Lady Funaho's tree, and tell her we need to speak   
to her. We really need your help." She looked at Tenchi. " Drastic in that it   
makes me feel like an idiot." As if in response, a few thin rays of light went   
from the tree to the water, and then suddenly exploded upwards. " I think he   
agreed to do it." She turned to Ryo-oh again. " Thank you very much." She   
said, and bowed gently. The tree replied with a few more rays of light. Washu   
turned and left the room, grabbing Tenchi and dragging him with her on the way   
out. " Now we wait." She said, as they exited the hyperspacil portal back   
into the room into the screen.  
" How long do you think it will take?" Tenchi asked.   
" It depends." Washu shrugged. " If she's not doing anything, maybe an   
hour or two. So, until she calls..." Washu pressed up against Tenchi. " Do   
you want to cuddle?" She said, looking up at him with doe eyes.  
" No thanks, little Washu." Tenchi said, blushing a bit. " But thanks   
for trying to cheer me up."   
" Anytime, Lord Tenchi." She said with a smile. " Now run along, I'll   
call you when Lady Funaho responds."   
" Sure thing, Little Washu." Tenchi smiled back at headed back out of   
Washu's lab. As he opened the lab door, he found his Grandfather waiting for   
him.  
" Tenchi, you haven't been coming to practice lately. Are you ill?" He   
asked sternly.   
" Sorry, Grandpa, but I've been really worried about Ayeka and I couldn't   
really concentrate on practicing." Tenchi answered sheepishly.   
" That is no excuse, Tenchi. You must learn to accept what can not be   
changed, and worry about it in due time." Yosho said, as the floor suddenly   
rose up and engulfed them both.   
" Sorry about that, Tenchi." Washu said. " We got an answer sooner   
than I expected. Lord Yosho." Washu acknowledged. Yosho examined his new   
surroundings.  
" What is going on here, Tenchi?" He asked.  
" So? Have we finally decided to call home, Yosho?" Boomed a loud   
voice. Yosho froze, then turned to stare at the gigantic image of Lady Funaho   
on the giant screen.   
" Hel... Hello Mother." Yosho stammered.   
" Actually, we called, Lady Funaho." Washu said. Yosho nodded in   
thanks.   
" Well, mother, it has been great to see you again, and I would very much   
like to stay and speak to you, but shrine matters call. Perhaps I will speak to   
you again."  
" Shrine matters. Of course." Funaho answered unbelievingly. " Later   
then." Yosho bowed, and hurried out. Funaho briefly let her annoyance show,   
then turned her attention to Tenchi with a smile. " So then, Lord Tenchi, to   
what do I owe this call?"  
" Well, Lady Funaho, I was wondering if you help me with Ayeka." Tenchi   
said. Funaho gave Tenchi a perplexed look.  
" Certainly, Tenchi. What can I do?" She said.  
" We need you to talk to Ayeka. You see, what she saw wasn't real, it   
was just an illusion created by one of Washu's gadgets by Ryoko." Funaho was   
silent for a bit.  
" I'll do what I can Tenchi, but why can't you do it?"   
" What?" Tenchi exclaimed. " You mean Ayeka isn't on Planet Jurai?"   
" No. Should she be?" Tenchi's skin suddenly went cold. Ayeka hadn't   
gone back to Jurai, so where was she? Why hadn't she even called to let her   
parents know what had happened. Tenchi quickly explained what happened to lady   
Funaho. Funaho looked on impassively as Tenchi explained. After Tenchi   
finished, she finally spoke.   
" I see. And Ryoko has left Earth?" She said. Tenchi nodded. " I'll   
inform Azusa immediately. Don't worry lord Tenchi, I'm sure we will find her."  
  
  
  
  
===== Jurain Battle Cruiser Eternity =====  
  
  
" Ayeka, Ayeka, are you here Ayeka?" Sasami called out as she entered   
the room. Until very recently, this room had belonged to captain Sakuma, but as   
Jurain battle cruisers had little extra space, he had gladly offered his   
quarters to Ayeka and Sasami. It wasn't a huge room, but at least two times the   
size of the room they had at Tenchi's, and it had an attached living room and   
office. It even had a window that looked out into space.  
" In here Sasami." Ayeka said from the office. She looked up from the   
computer screen and waved as Sasami. Sasami padded into the office and bounced   
into a chair in front of the desk. The office was nicely furnished, with a   
beautifully carved desk made of plastic, though it looked and felt like wood.   
The chairs were large and comfortable, with intricate designs on the fabric. "   
How did you like this ship?"   
" It's really big. I never knew that Jurain ships were this huge."   
Sasami said. Ayeka smiled gently at her little sister. " Did you know that   
there are these tunnels that go everywhere on the ship?"  
" Yes Sasami. They're so that people can repair the ship." Ayeka said.  
" Captain Sakuma asked me a couple of times if I knew why you wanted us   
not to send any messages. He seems very uncomfortable with everything." Sasami   
said.  
" Of course he is. It's his ship. He wouldn't be a worthy captain of a   
Jurain vessel if he didn't worry about his ship." Ayeka said casually. She   
looked back to the computer and typed a few more words. " That's a good one."   
She muttered.  
" Maybe if you would just explain to him why you want to do it, then he   
wouldn't be so uncomfortable." Sasami said. Ayeka looked back at her sister.  
" Sasami," Ayeka said lovingly " I'm not yet ready to talk about what I'm   
planning."  
" Well then, could you explain it to me?" Sasami said. She sounded   
normal, but Ayeka could hear the note of pleading in her voice. Ayeka smiled   
comfortingly, stood up, and sat next to Sasami. She gently cupped Sasami's hand   
in her own.   
" Sasami, someday you will have to learn that being a princess of Jurai   
means more than just ordering people around and being privileged. You'll   
understand that being a princess of Jurai means you have a responsibility   
towards the people of the Jurain Empire, and sometimes you have to work for   
them. Do you understand now, Sasami?"  
" I guess so." 


	5. Jurai Blues Chapter 4: Persistence of M...

Note (1-24-03) Apparently, I am a giant coward. Let this be a lesson folks, never assume anything. Just today I gathered the courage to finally check some of the reviews you all sent in on my fic, and I was fully prepared to be reading how you all hated it. Instead, I read many positive reviews. Sorry to keep you all waiting for this, but to make amends, I've done my best to improve it.  
  
Note 1: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd   
spend my time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Note 2: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're   
"modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.) Basically, everything that happened in the OAV happened here. Also, I've decided to borrow a page out of the book of Alfred Hitchcock. No, I'm not going to write intelligent and thrilling mysteries. Rather, I will cameo in all my fics from now on. They won't become self-insertion fics. Rather, I'll just have a line or two.  
  
  
  
  
  
Jurai Blues Part 4: Persistence of Memory Revision  
By James Kane (Or Confucioussays, if you prefer)  
  
  
  
  
  
===== Tenchi's House, Earth, Friday =====  
  
  
  
  
The front door clicked open and a young man darted through.  
" I'm home." Tenchi said, slamming the door shut. With a flick of his wrist his bag flew towards the couch in the living room. Tenchi ran straight to Washu's lab and threw the door open. As usual, a black field was revealed as the door opened. " Any word yet?" He shouted through the door. After a few seconds of silence, he poked his head through the black wall that Tenchi knew connected Tenchi's home to Washu's lab.  
" It's only been one day, Lord Tenchi." Said Washu, as she left the kitchen. She was kettle and a cup, and wore an expression of unconcern. " Not even Jurai can contact each and everyone of its ships in just one day." She said as she walked towards the couches.   
" You really must learn some patience, Lord Tenchi." Said a new voice. It was calm and controlled. The quiet strength spoke volumes about its owner. Tenchi scrambled into a quick bow.   
" Lady Funaho! Excuse me, you're highness, I didn't see you there." The queen of Jurai was sitting on the couch, looking slightly flustered. Her long hair lay covering her soft robes of blue and silver. She held a cup of tea in one hand, with the other laying gently in her lap, holding a familiar brown object.  
" Your aim would suggest otherwise, Lord Tenchi." She said, with a gentle smirk, placing the bag on the table, and Tenchi noticed for the first time she had a small bump on her forehead. Tenchi felt his face catch fire as he realized he had hit her with his bag as he threw it. " Don't worry about it, Lord Tenchi. I'm made of tougher stuff than that to get hit by a tiny little bag. Come, sit down." She smiled and motioned for him to sit down next to her.   
" But I had four classes worth of books in that bag..." He mumbled, staring at his great-grandmother.  
" I was just explaining to Lady Funaho what happened in a little more detail." Said Washu, as she plopped down on the chair. She gently poured herself some tea, and took a sip. " It turns out she knew about Sasami and Tsunami for a while now."   
" Yes, Tsunami approached us very soon after Ayeka and Sasami left searching for Yosho. You can imagine my surprise when, walking peacefully through the royal gardens with Azusa," She said quite conversationally. She swept open her arms as if to give an impression of great size as she talked about the gardens. " When we bump into Tsunami, the Goddess of Jurai. Now, it's not unknown for Tsunami to show herself to the emperor, but she hasn't done it for twelve hundred years, when..." Tenchi found himself staring at Lady Funaho. He had to remind himself that she was not related to Ayeka at all by blood, only marriage. They looked so much alike. ' It's the hair. The hair and the way they act. You can tell they're both royalty.' He thought to himself.   
"... Misaki especially didn't quite grasp what she meant. She thought Sasami really was dead." She shook her head in annoyance as the memory the frantic Misaki came back to her, and even that looked cute. " It took some time to really explain what happened. Though now she seems quite happy to know Sasami will live forever as the goddess of Jurai."  
" I can imagine." Washu smiled at Funaho and took a sip of tea. " How was your day, Lord Tenchi?" She inquired. Tenchi shifted uncomfortably as he became the center of attention.   
" Well it's school." Tenchi said. " Nothing too exciting ever happens at school." He said, and then flinched as he remembered his first meeting with the rejuvenated Ryoko. ' I haven't thought about that in the longest time.' He brushed the thought away.  
" Would you tell me about what you learn in these Earth schools?" Funaho said, with a charming smile.   
" Learn?" Tenchi repeated. His mind went back to what had happened today, and as usual found himself blanking. He hadn't paid much attention today. " Well, we learn about lots of things. History, foreign languages, mathematics, sciences. We try to learn a little bit of everything here on Earth, at least in the beginning. I don't know how it is on planet Jurai."   
" Sounds wonderful. We try and do the same things on Jurai."   
" So we really don't know anything about where Ayeka might be?" Tenchi asked. Lady Funaho smiled a bit patronizingly.  
" My my, right to the point, aren't we." She chuckled. " We don't know where she and Sasami might be, but we know some places they're not. They couldn't have gone to any Jurai controlled planets, because our intelligence operatives would have reported it almost immediately. And we also know that she must have gone somewhere with a Jurai tree, so that limits it to ships and a few facilities. Since civilian Jurai ships are powered by a fusion reactor, the only place she could be is on a military ship." She paused to take a sip of tea. " We've already ruled out ships that have been in contact with Jurai since she disappeared, and that's quite a few ships. So far we only have 81 ships. And the navy is going to contact each of them to find out if anyone knows where she is. We should be finished by tomorrow."  
Tenchi let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. 'Tomorrow I'll know.'   
" I really must apologize for Ayeka." Funaho said. This got Tenchi's attention, as he nearly face faulted in surprise.   
" Apologize? Why should you apologize? It's not your or Ayeka's fault this happened." Tenchi said.  
" Told you." He heard Washu mutter, and saw Funaho smile in bemusement.  
" Yes, but Ayeka's shameful actions reflect poorly on all members of the royal family." This took Tenchi back a bit. 'Shameful actions? Ayeka didn't really do anything shameful, unless she did something I didn't know about.'  
" What do you mean shameful?" He said, tilting his head up.  
" I realize that Ayeka is a young girl in love, but her reaction is completely unexcusable for someone of her stature." She said. Tenchi stared at her unbelievingly.   
" It's not her fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." He said, shaking his head in disapproval at himself. " If I had been tougher on Ryoko when she teased Ayeka, or she wouldn't have gone too far." Funaho smiled gently at him, and for a moment Tenchi could have sworn she was Ayeka's twin.  
" You're right..." She said, and Tenchi felt his hear sink. "... Washu." She felt inside her robes and removed a small object. Tenchi noticed it had markings he'd never seen before, but appeared to have an engraving of a tree on the back, which Tenchi thought must be a Jurain coin. Funaho handed it gracefully to Washu.   
" Thank you." She said, putting it in her pocket.  
" You were betting on me?" He said in surprise.  
" Yes, I didn't think you could possibly blame yourself for the actions of other people. I suppose it was foolish to bet against the number one genius scientist in the universe but it seemed a safe bet. After all, who could blame themselves for things that aren't under their control."  
" Yes, but she obviously never lived with you." Washu chuckled.  
" Oh, nice." Tenchi muttered. Washu and Funaho shared a girlish chuckle.   
" It's pointless to blame yourself for what other people do. Ayeka and Ryoko make their own choices in life." Lady Funaho replied. " If I had just tried harder to raise Ayeka better, then this wouldn't have happened. So it's my fault." She said ironically. Tenchi tried to reply but Washu beat him too it.  
" If only I had kept my equipment under better security, this wouldn't have happened. So it's my fault." The little red head offered, in mock apology.  
" And if Yosho had come back to planet Jurai after he defeated Ryoko, then this wouldn't have happened, so it's his fault." Funaho said, taking another sip of tea.  
" You see the point Tenchi?" Washu said. " You can't blame yourself for the choices of others. If you go down that road, in no time at all you'll be blaming yourself for the Alderberan war, which claimed 500 million lives, and happened ten thousand years before you were born." Tenchi could only smile sheepishly and scratch the back of his head.   
" I guess you're right."  
" Of course I'm right. I'm a genius." Washu smiled cutely.  
" Well now that that's settled," Funaho said. " If I'm going to stay here I'm going to need a room."  
" You're going to stay here, then? On Earth?" Tenchi said curiously. Tenchi suddenly felt very embarrassed about his house. He didn't think he really had any rooms worthy for a galactic queen.  
" We think it's best if someone not involved is here to talk to Ayeka if she should show up again. Plus it's been ages since anyone did a survey of this planet, so I might as well do that too while I'm here." She smiled sweetly. " I have to admit to it's been to long since I've spent much time here. I'd forgotten how beautiful Earth can be.  
" Well if you want to stay here, we've got quite a few rooms opened up just recently." Tenchi joked slightly, with a tinge of guilt. " Do you have any bags you need brought up? I should do it now, because grandpa, err Yosho wants me at training pretty soon."  
" I wouldn't worry about that, Lord Tenchi." Funaho said. She said it without looking at him, and got up to refill her tea.   
" Well, I've kind of missed everyone this week, so I really need too, but we can talk afterwards." Tenchi said.  
" I really wouldn't worry about it. I already had long talk with Yosho about it. He seemed more than willing to part with you for one day." Funaho smiled and wrapped one arm around him. " So for the rest of the day, you're mine." She said, with mock authority. " So please tell me a bit about what's been going on lately, Lord Tenchi."  
  
  
  
  
Having Lady Funaho around the house was a bit re-assuring to Tenchi, almost like having Ayeka back. Tenchi could easily see whom Ayeka had learned it all from. Funaho was quiet, demure, easy going, and quick to smile, just like Ayeka was (Wasn't she? Tenchi afterthought). Tenchi and Washu had helped her unpack, and set up for her stay in Ayeka and Sasami's room. Tenchi had apologized for not having anything fit for a queen, but Funaho just smiled and patted him gently on the shoulder. After that they sat and talked about many things. School, life with the girls, Dr. Clay and Zero, and Earth in general. Lady Funaho knew a bit about the major events of the past few centuries, like the world wars, Japans Meiji wars and America's revolutionary war, the Soviet Union's rise and fall, the computer revolution, but didn't know many details, and seemed eager to hear them. Washu actually chimed in with insightful commentary. They talked until...  
" I'm home." Noboyuki said. He was carrying several plastic bags and still wearing his work clothes. " Could I get a little help here?" He shouted. " I stopped and got some take out." He closed the door roughly with his foot. Tenchi excused himself and went to help his father, while Washu went to go wake Mihoshi up. Lady Funaho met them in the question.  
" That smells wonderful, Mr. Masaki" She said. Noboyuki double taked, then adjusted his glasses to look more closely at her.   
" Achi..." He said under his breath, and then shook his head, as if to shake an idea away. " Well, young lady, who might you be?" He composed himself.  
" No one special. I'm Yosho's mother. Funaho." She said lightly, and then went to help him with the bags. " I visited here earlier, but I didn't get a chance to meet you. You must be Noboyuki."   
" Yes, I am. But isn't grandfather... so you're..." He said, turning blank.  
" The queen of Jurai? I try not to make a big deal of it." She said.   
" Oh." He said uncomfortably. " I hope we have enough, I didn't know we'd have a guest. Actually, you can have mine. I actually ate on the way here. You know whatIhavesomeworktodosoI'llbegoing." He said, turned and left. Shocked, Tenchi started after him as Noboyuki left the kitchen.  
" Hey Dad, don't just run off like that!" Tenchi couldn't believe his father could be so rude, especially to family who just happened to be a queen of Jurai. Right as he got to the door, an arm rose up and blocked his path. " Lady Funaho, I'm really sorry about that."  
" Let him go Tenchi. I'm sure he has work to do." Tenchi stared at her. Surely she hadn't believed his excuse. He hadn't even tried to make it believable, and Lady Funaho was not stupid. She should have seen right through it.  
" But Lady Funaho..." She wagged her finger at him like a mother would to a naughty son.  
" Remember what I told you about apologizing, Tenchi. I'm sure Noboyuki has reasons for leaving so quickly." She said, though Tenchi couldn't help feeling she knew what they were. Tenchi tried to but in, but she wouldn't have it, and motioned him towards the table. " No buts. We should eat now." She said sternly. Tenchi nodded absent-mindedly and followed her.  
" Oh Yum! Sushi rolls!" Sparkled Mihoshi. The last remnants of her nap left her eyes as she spotted the food.   
" Hey, where was Noboyuki going in such a hurry?" Washu asked. She didn't really care so much as she was trying to make conversation.  
" Oh, he had things to do." Funaho said. Washu caught the hint and didn't bring it up again. Tenchi muttered something about work, but by this time Mihoshi had already dived into the food, and everyone else had to move and make a claim on his or her dinner, before it "disappeared".  
  
  
  
  
  
===== The next day =====  
  
  
  
  
A bruised and battered Tenchi Masaki wandered down from the mountain with an unusual limp. The day had started out perfectly enough. He'd woken up peacefully, something he was beginning to enjoy with Ryoko gone. Breakfast had been served courtesy of Washu. Tenchi guessed she was doing it for Funaho. Washu and Funaho had seemed to form a bond, ever since they'd first met when Funaho way back when she and Misaki had come to visit Ayeka and Sasami.   
Breakfast had gone well, though Tenchi had been a bit uncomfortable being the only male there. Yosho still seemed uncomfortable whenever his mother was around, and Noboyuki was still acting weird, and went out to work early. With them gone, it had just been Washu, Lady Funaho, Mihoshi and himself. Washu and Lady Funaho had spent a good deal discussing intergalactic politics. Having spent 5000 years stuck in a crystal, Washu had a lot of catching up to do, something Tenchi couldn't help with. Mihoshi added whatever she could, which she did surprisingly often. One thing Tenchi had learned about Mihoshi was that she was actually pretty smart about outer space history. It was common sense she was short on. Tenchi had listened for a few minutes, trying to understand, but eventually his eyes just glazed over as the three talked.  
After breakfast, Lady Funaho asked if Tenchi would show her around the shrine, and of course Tenchi agreed, though he admitted there wasn't much to see. They went to the carrot fields first, and Tenchi related the story about the masses, and how they had tried to help him, then kill him. Lady Funaho couldn't help laughing, and Tenchi feigned injury at her laughter. After that Tenchi took her inside the cave where Ryoko had been held. Tenchi felt a little strange being back here. He hadn't seen any reason to visit it after the first time, in fact he'd avoided it like the plague before Ryoko found him at school. A dull twenty minutes later, they left and Tenchi showed her the training ground where Katsuhito trained him in sword fighting. And that's where it happened. Tenchi was showing her a few of the techniques he had learned, when Katsuhito silently crept up behind him, and nudged him slightly, but enough to send Tenchi flat faced into the ground.  
" Tenchi, you are too easily distracted." He had said sternly.  
" Wasn't that a little harsh, Yosho-chan?" Funaho said. Katsuhito seemed a little ruffled by this, but continued.  
" If it's all right, mother, I'd like to borrow Tenchi from you for training. He hasn't been up in over a week. Frankly I'm surprised he remembered the way." He said. Funaho sighed, and gave Tenchi a hand up.   
" Very well Yosho. I'll let you boys play together." She said playfully, and walked off. She smiled and gently waved. " Take care lord Tenchi." Tenchi stared after her pleading, but she never turned around.   
" Come Tenchi. We must get started."  
So an hour later, he walked back to the house beaten and bruised, and with a slight limp due to a cheap shot his grandpa had placed on the back of his knee. Add to that Funaho had avoided answering the question every time he'd asked about Ayeka with great political skill during his tour, this day was turning out less than perfectly then he'd hoped. It was still early though, he reminded himself, and Jurai could call with information later. This was going through his mind as he opened the door. He had intended to go to bed and lie down for a little bit, but it wouldn't ever be that simple.   
" Hey Tenchi, your finally back." Hiroshi said. Tenchi sighed as he saw his friend sitting on the couch in the living room, right next to lady Funaho. Daisuke, never far behind, was sitting on the other side of Lady Funaho. They were both acting pretty casual, but closer to Funaho then Tenchi liked, and grinning widely. Funaho seemed fine with it though.  
" Tenchi, your friends arrived a while you were training." Funaho said. Both Hiroshi and Daisuke were acting a little to comfortable with the queen of a galactic empire, and Daisuke looked like he was about to put a hand on Funaho's thigh, but thought better about it after seeing Tenchi's frown and put it back in his lap.  
" What are you guys doing here?" Tenchi asked in disbelief.   
" Well, we thought you could use some cheering up, so we thought we'd do something today." Hiroshi said.  
" I don't know, I'm kind of waiting for an important call..." Tenchi started, but Funaho wouldn't hear it.  
" It's all right, Tenchi. Even if the call comes, we won't be able to do anything about it immediately anyway." She said.  
" Geez, Tenchi what happened to you? Looks like you were trying to pick up some big guys girlfriend." Daisuke said, ignorant of the irony.  
" Yeah, that's never a smart thing to do." He said flatly. " Grandpa wanted me to do some extra training today." Tenchi said, rubbing his knee as the pain came back.  
" So is there anything you want to do today?" Hiroshi asked. Tenchi didn't feel like going out, especially since he didn't feel well, but they had come all this way...  
" Sure, I guess. Just let me go take a shower then."   
" Sure thing, Tenchi. We'll be fine down here for a little bit." Daisuke said, throwing a glance and a confident smirk towards Funaho. Tenchi wasn't sure he wanted to leave them alone. He didn't think they'd give lady Funaho any trouble, but he hadn't thought they'd hit on an older woman either. Tenchi hurried upstairs, and was back down in less then ten minutes, after a quick shower and changing into more casual clothes. He was not amused by what he found. Daisuke was still sitting next to Lady Funaho, blatantly hitting on her, telling her how beautiful she looked with that robe on. Hiroshi, however, had apparently decided to be a nice guy, and keep Mihoshi company after she had wandered in while Tenchi was upstairs. Daisuke was complimenting Funaho on her looks and choice of clothes, which she seemed to be enjoying, while Hiroshi had reduced Mihoshi into a fit of girlish giggles with tales of Tenchi in elementary school.  
" Hey Tenchi, I just had an idea. We can just stay here and watch a movie instead of going out." Hiroshi said quickly. Daisuke got the idea quickly and nodded his agreement.  
" Yeah, I mean, it looks like it could rain later, best to stay inside." Daisuke said, pointing out to the cloudless sky.  
Tenchi nearly face faulted. He didn't really want his friends hitting on Mihoshi and Funaho, so he needed a good excuse.  
" Actually, the VCR's broken. Sorry. Actually, though, there were some things I meant to do today, though. I need to get some things from the store." He said. Hiroshi and Daisuke sighed heavily.   
" All right." Daisuke said, and then muttered, " We never have any luck."   
" Tenchi keeps all the best girls for himself." Hiroshi added under his breath. Funaho chuckled a bit at their reactions. She really had enjoyed the attention, if only from two high schools kids.   
" You boys have a good time." She said, and waved as they sadly got up and moped over to Tenchi. As they reached the door, she called to them and softly blew them a kiss. They turned bright red and started wrestling for each other, as if trying to steal the kiss from one another. Hiroshi claimed victory as Tenchi grabbed them both by the collar and dragged them out.  
  
  
  
  
" Tenchi, your aunt is HOT!" Daisuke said for the fifth time. They were on the train bound for Kurashiki city and all they'd been able to talk about was Funaho and Mihoshi.   
" Why'd you have to drag us out?" Hiroshi practically cried, ignoring the looks people on the train were giving him. " I think I was about to score with the blonde! She really likes me! Did you see the way she looked at me, and giggled at everything I said???" Tenchi shook his head in annoyance as Hiroshi went on to declare his undying love for Mihoshi. His leg was feeling a bit better after the shower, so he wasn't limping anymore. He still ached though.  
" You weren't about to score. Mihoshi acts like that with everyone." Tenchi replied. Outside the countryside was flashing by.   
" I man can dream can't he!" He said, clasping his hands together and looking love struck, tears pouring down his face. " And why do you get all the girls?" Tenchi suddenly felt very self conscious, as everyone on the train stared at him. They continued obliviously.  
" Yeah." Daisuke said angrily. " Even if you want to keep Mihoshi to yourself, you can at least let me have your aunt. You can't add your own aunt to your personal harem!" He said, then suddenly looked at Tenchi suspiciously. " You don't want your own aunt do you? This isn't some quasi-Oedipal complex thing, is it?"  
" Of course not. She's married!" He replied.  
" What!" Daisuke hollered and went into a perfectly executed face fault. Almost the entire train turned to look at him. " But she... she told me her husband married someone else." He pouted. That was true, Tenchi thought, but she didn't mention that multiple marriages were allowed on planet Jurai.  
" It doesn't matter what she said, she's still married." Daisuke nearly wept.   
" What about Mihoshi?" Hiroshi said.   
" She's not married, but I think she likes me." He said, as Hiroshi's eyes stared angrily at him.  
" First thing we do in Kurashiki city," Daisuke muttered " is get Tenchi neutered."   
" And then we take his women!" Hiroshi added, and they both laughed maniacally.  
" You can have them." Tenchi said, under his breath.   
  
  
  
  
They spent most of the early afternoon wandering around the shopping district, discussing what had been going on lately. Hiroshi and Daisuke quickly picked up that talking about Ryoko, Ayeka, and Sasami was a sore point for Tenchi, and tried to find out about it subtly.  
" So what was that call you were expecting?" Hiroshi asked, while Daisuke sipped a drink. The first thing they did after getting off the train was grab some lunch at the first fast food shop they could find. Daisuke was just finishing it off.  
" It's kind of complicated." Tenchi deflected.  
" So, waiting for one of those girls to call you?" Daisuke said. " Don't look surprised. That was the same thing you said last time we asked last time."   
" Yeah, Tenchi, you never told us about what happened. You just stalled." Hiroshi added. Tenchi sighed and considered what to tell them. Eventually, he related a slightly modified story about Ryoko using a computer to doctor a photo, making it seem like she and Tenchi had been having sex, and Ayeka running off with Sasami to visit relatives, and Ryoko leaving to stay with her half-sister (which was what Ryo-oh-ki technically was). Hiroshi and Daisuke listened quietly, not even commenting with the sarcastic quips they were known for. When he finished, Hiroshi lightly shook his shoulder.  
" That's terrible. I can see why you kicked her out." Hiroshi said.   
" Well I didn't really kick her out..." Tenchi muttered, thinking perhaps he should have.  
" What I don't get is why she left after one photo. I mean, did she even ask you about it?" Daisuke questioned, then did a jump shot and put his empty cup in the trash bin ten feet away.  
" I know. It's really strange. She never acted that emotional before." Something about that last sentence left a bad taste in Tenchi's mouth, like there was something just wrong about it. He shrugged it off, and they got up and headed down the street.   
" She's normally so nice and quiet. Everything you could want in a woman." Tenchi said, admitting silently to himself that wasn't exactly true. He knew she couldn't cook very well, but that was forgivable. And she could be a tad possessive...   
" Well if she was so perfect, why didn't you just break if off with Ryoko?" Hiroshi asked. Before Tenchi could answer Daisuke had already guessed it.  
" Didn't have the balls, did you Tenchi?" He remarked.   
" Of course I did!" Tenchi shouted defensively, but his friends looked skeptical. He knew it was hopeless though. His friends had known him to long enough to know he was spineless when it came to girls. He'd never told Ayeka or Ryoko, but he had several brief relationships, and they had all ended badly. The only exception was Hiwa Takashi, and that's because they'd been childhood friends (see manga volume 3). " It's just that - Hey watch it!" He shouted, as a group of teenagers on in-line skates flew by him. One turned around, an American only visiting from Austin, Texas. He wore a pale blue T-shirt, and some khaki shorts.   
" You watch it! You should be more careful when you're in our territory!" He said, and then waved at the reader as if he knew he was in a fanfic.  
  
(Authors note: Forgive me, I just found my copy of Jet Grind Radio for DC, and it's all I could think of for my cameo.)  
  
They stared after him, waiting for an apology. After he turned the corner, they continued walking, albeit slightly irritated.   
" Man, those graffiti punks are ruining this city." They heard someone say. Meanwhile, Tenchi spotted a pay phone.   
" Could you hold on a second, I need to make a call home." He said. The duo waited patiently as Tenchi made a very short call. Hiroshi and Daisuke could tell what he'd learned.  
" No luck, huh?" Daisuke asked. Tenchi nodded.   
" Actually a little. We know where she's not. There are only three shi... relatives she might be with. Funaho learned that. But she's still not talking to us."   
" This must be really serious. I've never seen you this depressed about a girl before." Hiroshi said. Tenchi nodded silently to himself. He had never felt this way about a girl before.  
" Ayeka was really special to me." He said. His eyes looked up, as if to see Ayeka. " I remember this one time, we were all on this picnic, and Ayeka went off to find some mushrooms. She found these really poisonous ones, but they didn't look dangerous, she didn't know they were poisonous, but at least she was trying. Ryoko just grabbed the first ones things she saw. She never took the time to think about things. She'd living in Japan long enough to know what good mushrooms should look like, shouldn't she? (That's Manga vol. 3 again)" He walked a few steps, then noticed Hiroshi and Daisuke weren't following him. They were holding on to each other, as if for support.  
" That's so sweet." Hiroshi sniffled.   
" How romantic!" Daisuke swooned. Tenchi sweat dropped as he noticed that they had drawn a crowd. At least a half dozen people were staring at them.   
" Stop it, you guys. You know I'm comfortable with your being gay, but you don't have to advertise it." Tenchi deadpanned, and it was Hiroshi and Daisuke's, along with most of the crowd, turn to sweat drop. Most of the crowd, believing Tenchi, turned around and left the two alone. " I'm going on. You two can catch up with me when you're "finished"." Tenchi turned around and walked off.  
" We're not gay." Hiroshi said. The remaining people just shrugged it off and walked away. " Really, we're not." He shouted after them. They found Tenchi a block ahead, window-shopping at an electronics store. He was looking over a Pioneer brand digital camera, wondering if he should buy it or ask Washu to make him one like it. Unfortunately neither seemed a good idea. He didn't have a whole lot of money, and things Washu made seemed to have special options that endangered the planet.  
" Real funny Tenchi. Now half the town thinks we're lovers." Daisuke said. Tenchi just smiled ironically at them.  
" Then I guess you shouldn't have been hugging then." HE said. They both glared at him. " Besides, only a couple people heard it, and they didn't even know you. How could the whole town know? It's not like you live here." This disarmed them a bit, and they stopped glaring at him. But Hiroshi still punched him hard in the arm.   
" With that lovable charm, no wonder the women can't resist you." Daisuke said.   
" Yeah, drives girls crazy." Tenchi said, rubbing his arm. But Daisuke was looking past him.  
" Oh cool, an arcade. Must be knew" Tenchi and Hiroshi flinched at the word. Tenchi had never really been into video games, with the exception of the original Nintendo system. After his mother died, things like that seemed kind of unimportant. But Hiroshi knew his way around a Street Fighter machine, and Daisuke seemed to get all of his exercise from a Dance Dance revoloution machine, so he knew it was pointless to argue.  
An hour later, the constant high-pitched noise was beginning to grate on Tenchi's nerves, but he'd known Daisuke since elementary school, and he knew better then to try and pull him away until he ran out of money. After a few minutes, they Hiroshi and Tenchi realized Daisuke had brought a lot of money, and settled in for the long haul. Right now, Daisuke was taking a couple of young boys to school on a Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 machine.   
" Lesson number 5, kid. That move has way to much recovery time to be useful except in combos." He chuckled, as the kid kicked the machine and walked off. " Hey, don't blame the machine."   
" You through yet, Daisuke?" Hiroshi asked.   
" I've still got one credit left!" He replied.   
A loud arcade was not the best place for deep thought, but Tenchi had been doing it anyway. It started when Daisuke started telling them about Andy and Mai, two characters from that game that were in love and that he wished they would get married. Tenchi started thinking about something that had never occurred to him. What if he asked Ayeka to marry him? Ayeka had always wanted it, and now Tenchi began to wonder if he didn't want it too. Without Ryoko around to cause trouble, things would be pretty quiet. He was no longer quite as mad at Ryoko, but he couldn't see himself being with someone who thought so little about other people's feelings. The choice had never been so obvious as now, but he still wasn't sure. He had to ask.   
" Do you think I'm too young to get married?" He suddenly said. Hiroshi's head snapped around to stare at him, and Daisuke seemed to flinch at the controls, and receive a critical hit, losing the match. He turned around to look Tenchi in the eye.   
" Yes. Yes I do, Tenchi." Hiroshi said. There was no a trace of a joke in his voice.   
" Why do you want to get married Tenchi? I mean, even if this girl is so great, you still pretty young. She's got to be pretty young too. I mean, I know you miss her, but are you sure she's everything you think?" Daisuke said.   
" I've known her for almost a year now. I know it's what she wants, or what she wanted before all this. It's what I want I don't see why not?" Tenchi said. He sighed and leaned up against an arcade machine. Hiroshi shook his head and crossed his arms.   
" If she's everything you say, then she'd wait for you to at least turn eighteen." Hiroshi said. " Assuming of course she hasn't 'rebounded' into someone else by now. Some girls go with the first guy they see after a break up just to spite the ex."  
" Why are you complaining, isn't that how you get all your girlfriends?" Tenchi countered harshly. He didn't like Hiroshi saying these things about Ayeka. Maybe he never actually met her, but still...  
" No that's Daisuke." He said quickly, ignoring his friends protestant "Hey!".   
" Tenchi, how do you know it will work out? You've had a couple of girlfriends before, but nothing this serious. To be honest your not the best judge of character. Remember Yumi?" Hiroshi said. Tenchi frowned at the name. He'd met Yumi Touma when he was twelve. They'd both been young then, but that hadn't stopped her from playing girlfriend to get money out of him.  
"Just cause you both want to get married doesn't mean it will work out." Daisuke said. Tenchi silently admitted that he had a point, but he also knew Ayeka loved him. Would that love last forever?   
" You're still young, man. You have to get out there, see the world. Have you ever been outside Japan?" Hiroshi said, and Tenchi silently corrected him. He'd been outside Japan, he'd been outside of the planet, and battled immensely powerful enemies like Kagato and Garyu (see Manga, vol 12), although, he had to remind himself, he hadn't exactly spent a whole lot of time out there.   
" There's a whole world, go and see it. Then you can get married. If it's true love, then a couple of years wouldn't really matter." Tenchi again knew he had a point, but he also thought that what he had with Ayeka was true love.  
" What's the difference between a few days and a few years? I know Ayeka would never betray me."  
" Even if she thinks you betrayed her? Like I said, she might have just jumped into the arms of the first guy she met?" Hiroshi said. Tenchi steadfastly trusted Ayeka.  
" Even if."  
  
  
  
A few hours later, Tenchi hiked down the road to his house. It was about eight PM, and the sun had already set. The exhaustion had hit him full first, and he was shuffling a bit. Tenchi had argued with Hiroshi and Daisuke for about a half hour more, growing more and more convinced that he was right. After a while they just stopped fighting, and told Tenchi to make sure they were invited to the wedding. It went downhill from there. Daisuke noticed the Dance Dance revolution had just opened it up, and dragged them both over to it. For the next hour they occasionally took turns on it, except when someone else came and challenged Daisuke. Tenchi actually enjoyed it a lot, though his grade average was probably about a C (Lowest grade I ever got, ever, Tenchi thought). After an hour Daisuke ran out of money, and they finally managed to drag him out of the arcade. They spent the next couple of hours walking around aimlessly, window-shopping until they decided to go home. They'd split up at the train station, with Tenchi saying he'd walk back.   
So Tenchi found himself walking home, sore from Yosho's training, and tired from a day out. As he turned a corner and saw the house, he noticed how empty it seemed. Most of the lights were out except for the living room, and Noboyuki's room. ' Least he's finally home', Tenchi though. Tenchi's legs ached but he managed to make it inside before nearly collapsing on the couch.   
" Tough day, lord Tenchi?" A young voice inquired. Tenchi lacked the strength to look up, and almost enough to respond.  
" You could say that little Washu." He groaned, as the aches and pains washed over him. " Where's Lady Funaho?"  
" In your father's study." She said. She moved from the doorway to the couch and sat down next to Tenchi, sitting with her arms folded behind her head, and swung her feet like a little kid. At first Tenchi didn't understand what she meant, and then he realized she was referring to Noboyuki's library. He never though of his dad's massive collection of girls comics as a 'Study'.  
" What's she doing in there?" He asked. Could she have started reading those old romance comics?  
" Reading some books on history and geography. We visited the public library after she talked with your father. She visited to look for some books on travel. I humiliated a guest speaker talking to college students on particle physics." Washu said, getting a sadistic gleam in her eye at the last part. " She wanted to see you when you got home. Oh, and your dad ordered a pizza. There's still a bit left, since the only people who like eel on their pizza are your father and grandfather. Blech. Not even Mihoshi would touch that." She giggled. Tenchi nodded, then summoned his little strength to stand up.  
" Thanks little Washu. Did she say what it was about?" He asked. She nodded.  
" Yes, but I think she wanted to talk to you first." She said. A little surprised, Tenchi made a couple of guesses at what Lady Funaho might want, but couldn't think of anything. He found Lady Funaho at a book-covered desk at the back of his fathers' library. At first he thought they were comics, but as he got closer he noticed they were travel guides. She noticed him before he got within ten feet.   
" Hello Lord Tenchi. How was your day?" She asked, looking up with a smile. Tenchi suddenly felt strength return to his legs. He smiled back, and sat down on the other side of the table.   
" Tiring, but I had a good time." He said. " I'm sorry about their behavior earlier." Funaho gave him a disarming smile.  
" Don't be. I think you'll find most women like being reminded from time to time that they're attractive. Even if it is by young boys." She said. She flipped a couple of pages in the book she was reading, but didn't take her attention away from Tenchi. Tenchi picked up a book, and examined it. It was about the history of Montreal.  
" Canada huh? Heard it's a nice place. Never been there though. Planning on going?" He asked. Tenchi could think of any specific reason for Canada.   
" Yes. Thought it might be nice if I visited home while I'm here." She said, and Tenchi became even more confused.  
" Ah. So, why do you want to go to Canada?" He said.  
" Because I was born there." Funaho said. Tenchi stared at her for a moment.   
" But I always thought you were from Japan?" He said.  
" You never asked, although I can understand why you thought that." She replied. " No, I was born in Northern Canada." She picked up a map and looked at it. " Not entirely sure where though, we weren't big on maps back then."   
" Are you serious?" Tenchi asked. He had never thought about where Lady Funaho had come from. He knew she was from Earth, but Jurai culture was so similar to Japanese he had just assumed she was from Japan.  
" Yes, Tenchi, I am." She said. She didn't sound annoyed that Tenchi didn't believe her, just answered him calmly. " The Earth is a very big planet, and Japan is very small. The law of probabilities alone suggests that I'm not from Japan. I was an..." she looked through a guide book. " Amerindian seems to be the term they use now, though we called ourselves the Ka hoi. Azusa came with a scouting party to check on some readings they picked up from the ship. My clan was there to meet them." She shrugged. " Certainly looks different then I remember." She said, looking at a picture of Modern day Quebec.   
" Your right, I guess." He said, still adjusting. 'I'm Canadian?' He thought. ' That doesn't sound too bad, um... eh.'  
" Of course I am." She said with a smile.  
" I heard you talked to my father today. Is he part of the reason your going?" Tenchi asked. Funaho gently put her book down.  
" A little bit. I asked him today why he was acting strangely whenever I was around. It was pretty much as I thought." She said. Her voice was calm, but still a little sad, like she didn't like thinking about it.  
" Why?" Tenchi asked.  
" He's uncomfortable because I remind him so much of your mother." She said. " It's not really a big deal. I came to Earth to survey cultural and Technological development, I guess I can do that in Canada too."   
" You don't have to go. I'll talk with him." Tenchi said firmly. " I mean, it's silly. You don't even really look like my mom." Funaho gave him a disbelieving smile, and reached over to a small desk near the table and picked up a small picture, and handed it to Tenchi. It was a picture of Achika holding Tenchi as an infant. They were on what appeared to be a picnic, with Mount Kyushu in the background. Tenchi was surprised by how much Lady Funaho really did look like his mother. " Wow. I always thought you looked more like Ayeka."  
" Not really. We have the same color hair, but that's only because Yosho liked it better so Ayeka changed it." Tenchi knew that part; Washu had discovered it some time ago. . I hate to say it about my own son, but Yosho always seemed to be a little too attached to me." She said, and it suddenly occurred to Tenchi why grandpa's tree was called 'Funaho'. " Don't tell him, but I was of glad when I found out how independent he had become." She leafed through the book. " Ayeka, though, always looked more Misaki."   
" Speaking of Ayeka..." Tenchi said.   
" Of course. We know where she probably is. Of the three ships we haven't been able to contact, Jurai Sun, Derra IV, and the Eternity, Jurai Sun and Derra IV are in places likely to cause communication interference. The Eternity was on border patrol. There's no reason they shouldn't answer us, except perhaps there's a Jurain princess aboard ordering them not too." She joked. " We think that's where she is, and we've sent a ship to their last known coordinates. We should know in about a week, if they're there."   
" Can she do that? Order a ship to do whatever she wants?" Tenchi asked, and Funaho nodded gravely.  
" As long as there are no orders contradicting it from Azusa, me, or Misaki, the captain has to accept orders from a member of the royal family, especially if she said she were on a special mission or somewhat."  
It occurred to Tenchi that now might be the time to ask. Since Ayeka might be coming home soon, and Lady Funaho would be leaving after that, he had to ask her.  
" Lady Funaho, I think you need to know something. When Ayeka returns I plan on asking her to marry me." He said, and Lady Funaho could only stare at him wide-eyed. For a few moments she couldn't speak.   
" I suppose that's between you and Ayeka." She said, regaining her composure and calmness. Tenchi began to realize that her outward calmness might just be a facade. Most of the time he might have no idea what she was really feeling. " But if you're asking my permission, then I'd have to say no." This time it was Tenchi's turn to be surprised. Tenchi had expected Lady Funaho to be supportive of this.  
" May I ask why?" He said. " I thought you'd be happy for us."  
" I would be, but Tenchi," She said delicately. " I think you're too young." This surprised Tenchi. It was the same thing Hiroshi and Daisuke had said. He'd ignored them because he believed that they just didn't know Ayeka well enough, but Lady Funaho was over seven hundred years old, and one of Ayeka's mothers. She knew Ayeka better probably then he did. And she was hardly stupid. If she thought he was too young... " Especially since your not from Jurai. I met Azusa when I was twenty three, but we didn't marry until I was fifty four. I needed the time to get used to Jurai, and," she added thoughtfully. " For Jurai to get used to me. People were not happy when the king of Jurai choose to marry someone from a barabarian planet like Earth. They might have put up more of a struggle if Misaki and I hadn't been friends. She was very popular on Jurai and made life very uncomfortable for anyone who disliked me." She added quietly " And there were a lot of those people."  
" You have a point, I guess. Still, even if we don't get married right away, we could still become engaged." Funaho eyed him for a moment, before asking a very strange question.  
" Are you sure the Ayeka you want to marry is the same that left?" She said. Tenchi looked at her queerly.   
" What do you mean?" He said.  
" People have a way of remembering things to the way they want. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say. Perhaps you've grown too fond. "  
  
  
  
  
===== Two days later, 2:14 AM =====  
  
  
  
  
" GO TENCHI GO!" Ayeka shouted. She was dressed in a tight fitting blue and gray cheerleaders outfit, and doing cartwheels while Mihoshi, also in a cheerleader's uniform, was jumping into the air with her pom-poms. Tenchi hit a smash across the ping-pong table that Hiroshi had to dive to return. It hit Tenchi's side of the table and went straight up. As Hiroshi returned, his cheering section, Ryoko and Washu in maroon and white cheerleaders outfits, went wild. Tenchi shivered a bit, in the cold auditorium, and wondered how the entire school had fit in here. He paid no mind about the fact he was in his underwear, and Hiroshi was in a panda outfit. Tenchi, in an amazing display of gymnastics, did a triple forward flip and was able to return the ball. Hiroshi spun around and made a mad dash for it but missed it by a few inches. The crowd went wild.   
" Tenchi! Tenchi! Tenchi!" They chanted and cheered. He basked in their love while the crowd noise died down, and the voices all merged into one.   
" Tenchi. Tenchi. Wake up, Lord Tenchi." Washu was saying. He felt a hand gently shaking him out of his sleep then a good hard slap.  
" owwww." He looked and saw Washu.   
" What's going on?" He said, but he could barely understand it himself, since he was so tired.   
" They found Ayeka." She said. Tenchi sat straight up. All traces of sleep vanished immediately. Those were the words he'd been dying to hear for weeks. He felt like those were the three best words he'd ever heard. So why didn't Washu look happy? Washu wore an expression of concern and sadness on her face.   
" Where is she?" He said. Washu just shook her head.   
" It's complicated. You'd better see for yourself, Lord Tenchi." She said. He got up and threw on a T-shirt. Washu held the door and motioned downstairs. He hurried downstairs, still wondering why Washu seemed so depressed. He noticed that Washu's TV was on. Washu had created a TV capable of picking up intergalactic transmissions and TV networks. The girls sometimes watched alien soap opera's on it. It was normally disguised as part of the wall, but now it was displaying an image. There was a tall white building standing out against a skyline crowded with buildings and a blue sky above it. And in the sky was a Jurain battle cruiser, Tenchi could tell by it's sleek look and wood finish. Tenchi felt happy, but he couldn't help but get a bad feeling. Washu had looked so worried, and an announcer on the station was in what sounded like a panicked voice talking in some alien language. It wasn't until an announcer came on and started translating it into Japanese that he realized what was going on.   
" This is on Earth?!?" He exclaimed, turning to look at Washu. Washu nodded.   
" New York, to be precise. The United Nations building to be exact. The Jurain battle cruiser Eternity showed up about fifty minutes ago, during a meeting of the general assembly. That's every member nation. Immediately afterwards Azaka and Kamidake went down and announced Princess Ayeka of the Jurain Empire would address the UN. She should be down soon." She said. Tenchi stared unbelievably at the screen.  
" ... I repeat this is not a joke. An apparent alien spacecraft has appeared over the United Nations building in New York City. Details are sketchy as to what is happening inside." The announcer said. " This feed is coming in live. No one is quite certain... Something appears to be happening." Tenchi knew immediately what was going on. Someone was using a Jurain teleportation system. The entire area seemed to darken, except for one small circular area, which brightened. There were what looked like cherry blossoms falling around it, and seven people appeared. Ayeka stood in the center, in an aquamarine hooded Jurain robe. To her left, stood Sasami in Turquoise and pink robe. A man in what looked like a military uniform stood to her right, and four guards formed a box around them. Azaka and Kamidake appeared a few moments later, and the group headed inside. Tenchi had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was about to happen.  
  
Please R&R. 


	6. Jurai Blues Chapter 5: Homecoming

Note 1-26-03: Made a few changes to streamline it.  
  
Note 1-28-03: Part 6 is taking longer then I thought. I'm making a large   
number of edits and writing new parts. I should be out in at most a week.   
  
Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd spend my   
time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time spending the profits I   
make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway, Pioneer owns this all, so please   
don't sue me (Not that you'd get any money, I'm broke.)  
  
Note: this takes place in a modified Tenchi OAV Universe. (Yes, they're   
"modifications", not inconsistencies or plot holes heh heh.) Basically,   
everything that happened in the OAV happened here.  
  
  
  
  
Jurai Blues Part 5: Ayeka comes home  
By James Kane (Or Psyco Panda, if you prefer)  
  
  
  
  
===== Previously, at Tenchi's house =====  
  
  
  
  
" ... I repeat this is not a joke. An apparent alien spacecraft has   
appeared over the United Nations building in New York City. Details are sketchy   
as to what is happening inside." The announcer said. " This feed is coming in   
live. No one is quite certain... Something appears to be happening." Tenchi   
knew immediately what was happening. The entire area seemed to darken, except   
for one place, which seemed to brighten. There were what looked like cherry   
blossoms falling around it, and seven people appeared. Ayeka stood in the   
center, in an aquamarine hooded Jurain robe. The hood fell deeply over her   
forehead, and her face looked dark and shodowed beneath it. To her left, stood   
Sasami in Turquoise and pink robe. A man in what looked like a military uniform   
stood to her right, and four guards formed a box around them. Azaka and   
Kamidake appeared a few moments later, and the group headed inside. Tenchi had   
a feeling he wasn't going to like what was about to happen.  
  
  
  
  
===== Earlier, in Northern Canada=====  
  
  
  
  
No one would ever think that the woman casually walking down the street   
was the queen of an empire from another planet. Quite a few people stopped   
to look at her, but they were mostly young men and it was for an entirely   
different reason. Jurai, as any powerful nation, had many enemies, so not even   
on Earth, where no one knew who she was, would a queen let down her guard. But   
queen had been given basic training in blending in, and 700 years with which to   
sharpen her skill. Right now she was wearing a pair of jeans and a non-  
descript, red turtleneck. It wasn't very flashy, or flattering, and no one   
would have thought twice about it, except maybe for her extremely long hair,   
though that could be easily written of as eccentricity. That was the reason.  
Queen Funaho was a master of infiltration. She had an expert sense of   
awareness. Only the best spies or assassins could come with-in twenty   
feet of her without her knowing. So she was well aware of the fact that someone   
had been following her all morning. Though, in all honesty, most people would   
have been in this case. The loud crashes that had been following her all   
morning were enough to get anyone's attention  
" Ooopsy. I'm so sorry. Let me help you with that." Another crash,   
followed by angry shouting. A blonde woman in what anyone off Earth would   
easily recognize as a galaxy police uniform was standing near the door of a   
cheesy souvenir shop. A table with various little snow globes and other   
touristy things was lying on the ground, many leaking.  
" I'll pay for that. I really will." Lady Funaho didn't have to try   
hard to guess why Mihoshi was in Canada. Tenchi was so insecure about her   
safety here on Earth. Funaho watched as Mihoshi tried to help clean it up but   
she kept knocking over other things. She watched on, with an amused smile on   
her face, as Mihoshi lost her grip as she picked up about five snow globes and   
actually was able to juggle them for about thirty seconds only to have them all   
hit the ground at the same moment in a loud crash. Eventually the shopkeeper   
just shooed her away, and surveyed the damage with a look of awe on his face   
Lady Funaho had never seen matched. Mihoshi walked to a corner and started   
looking around, and Lady Funaho could only guess for her. Funaho watched for a   
few moments as she started to panic, then waved to let Mihoshi see her. The   
galaxy police officer cheer fully waved back until she remembered that Tenchi   
had asked her not to be seen.   
" Oh shoot." She said. She blushed a little in surprise and   
embarrassment, and then, not knowing what else to do, ran across the street to   
talk to her, and nearly got run over twice. " Hi there. I was just, ummmmm   
errrr, what a coincidence I always come here for sake after work." Mihoshi   
said.   
" Sake is a Japanese beverage. You won't find a whole lot in Canada.   
Even less that's good." Funaho said. Mihoshi started squirming uncomfortably.   
" From what I hear, Canada seems to be more beer centered."  
" Yeah, well, uhhhh..." Mihoshi bluffed. " I meant beer." She said,   
and nodded as if it was the truth. " Uh huh."  
" Tenchi worries too much. He should have known I'd be all right."   
Funaho said. Mihoshi grew wide-eyed as a shocking idea formed in her head.   
" Oh, then you already knew I was here. I thought Tenchi told me you   
didn't know. That's so weird, I wonder why he did that?" Mihoshi said.  
" Yes, I wonder." Funaho said. Lady Funaho was far to composed to face   
fault. Besides, she was used to dense people. A bad side note of nobility,   
though thankfully Jurain medicine had conqured inbreeding problems, was that   
sometimes people were given power that really didn't deserve it. In the court   
of Jurai, there were people, though few, much worse then Mihoshi. Seiryo, the   
man Azusa had chosen to wed Ayeka, was one that came to mind.  
" Would you care for a cup of coffee?" Funaho said. She motioned   
towards an outside café, in the shadow of the city walls of old Quebec. The   
city used to be a fort, and it showed. Old Quebec was placed on a huge hill,   
and was surrounded by a thick wall of stone. The streets were tiny, built for a   
century or more ago, but it was still cozy. Everything had an aged quality that   
Funaho found comforting.  
Mihoshi nodded a yes and they walked over and took a seat. Mihoshi   
started a rambling commentary, completely uninformed on the city. It wasn't   
exactly where Lady Funaho had lived but it certainly seemed like home compared   
to the vastness and spiraling towers of Jurai. Mihoshi commented on how pretty   
it was, and how it was nice that it was so different from Japan. Lady Funaho   
ordered two cups of coffee, and the waiter wrote it down, made a non-chalant   
glance at her chest with a quick grin and went to the kitchen.   
" How did you get here, Mihoshi? Did Washu open a hyperspace wormhole?"   
She said.   
" Oh that. I put it down outside of town. Washu gave me this cloaky-  
thingy-dealy to put in my ship, so no one will see it." Mihoshi said. " This   
place is so pretty. It must have been great growing up here."  
" It wasn't exactly like this when I was here. Not nearly this busy."   
She said, reminiscing of her youth. She pulled out a small device made. It   
looked somewhat like the palm pilots some business people used, but this one was   
made of polished wood, with a display that any science lab could tell was   
diamond.   
" What's that thing?" Mihoshi asked.   
" It's just a little data pad. Part of the reason I came to Earth was to   
do a survey. I have to get around to it sometime." She said.   
" Oh, you mean like how well this planet has developed? At the galaxy   
police academy I had to write one on this planet in the Syklan sector and it was   
so interesting. Did you know they make most of the sectors nano-circuitry   
there? Oh I hope I'm not bothering you." She rambled. A few people sitting   
nearby gave her a sideways glance as she said, but just ignored her as some kind   
of nut job who thought she was from space. A little later, they wouldn't have   
doubted her.   
" It's all right. Misaki and I haven't been away from each other for   
this long in well over a century. Having you here makes it seems like she's   
still here. You two are so similar in many ways." She said with a knowing   
grin, as Mihoshi was oblivious to the unflaterring comparison.  
" That's so nice." Mihoshi giggled. " No one's ever compared me to a   
queen before." A minute later, the waiter appeared.   
" All right, we got two coffees, black, and a message from the   
gentleman." The aspiring fan fic writer working at a dead end summer job said,   
then smiled knowingly, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen, as he put   
the coffees and a note written on a folded sheet of paper. Funaho curiously   
looked at it, and then scowled at a man across the café, who gave her an   
enticing wink.  
" What's that?" Mihoshi said. Funaho frowned, crumpled it up and tossed   
it over her shoulder.  
" Nothing important." She said. The people around her might have found   
it very interesting if they knew that it contained a suggestion for a "ménage et   
twois" and several other things that her husband wouldn't have hesitated to   
destroy the planet for. 'Perhaps I shouldn't have missed this planet that   
much.' She thought. She was about to turn about and give him a piece of her   
mind, and possibly a broken arm, when a shout from across the street grabbed her   
attention.  
" What the hell! We're being invaded by aliens!" Suddenly the crowd   
babble died down as the words were absorbed. Most people just shrugged it off   
unbelievingly. But more and more people shouting and screaming as the gathered   
around a TV in a nearby store. Perplexed, Mihoshi and Funaho got up to go see,   
while Lady Funaho kept her head bowed and cupped her left fist in her right   
hand, an ancient Jurain superstition akin to crossing of the fingers on Earth,   
as a feeling of unbelievable dread filled her. As they moved through and were   
able to see the TV, they say a Jurain Battle cruiser hovering over the UN   
building.   
" Ayeka, you idiot." She quietly swore.  
  
  
  
  
===== Jurain Battleship Eternity, earlier=====  
  
  
  
  
" Have you made the announcement yet?" Ayeka asked, running a comb   
through her long, light blue hair. Its color was due to a dye. It was her   
original hair color, and the same as Sasami's and her mother Misaki's. She'd   
changed it when she was younger to make her self more attractive to her future   
husband, Yosho, and had grown to like it and kept it that way. 'Not anymore   
thought,' she'd thought in disgust. She'd had it changed back in an attempt to   
forget about both the men who'd crushed her heart, but unfortunately it would   
take time before her hair changed back on it's own, and she'd dyed it to make it   
even.   
" Yes, your highness." Azaka said.   
" We informed them you would be arriving soon, but we did not share with   
them the reason." Kamidake said. Ayeka's guardians hovered towards the back of   
the bathroom.  
Ayeka was dressed in a very formal three-layered Jurain garment, with a   
hooded aquamarine overcoat. It was something only worn for state functions.   
Sasami rushed in wearing a Jurain silk robe colored turquoise and pink.   
" Ayeka! Are you ready yet?" She panted. Apparently she'd run all the   
way down from the bridge, after watching their approach to Earth. " I can't   
wait to get back down to Earth. I know it's only been a little while, but I've   
missed it a lot."  
" Sasami!" Ayeka shouted, and Sasami jumped back a little. Ayeka took a   
second to calm down. " Sasami, we are not returning to Japan now, nor do I   
have any plans to in the future. We'll be going to a place called New York   
City, to meet with representatives from all over the Earth. I don't think we'll   
be seeing," she hesitated, and said with a bit of a growl. "Tenchi, any time   
soon." Sasami looked doubtful. Tenchi would probably find them. The door   
chime sounded and Ayeka sent Azaka to get the captain. When he entered, Sasami   
couldn't help but notice that he looked very different. His face seemed tired,   
and his eyes were tight with worry, like he hadn't slept in a few days. Ayeka   
continued to work with her hair obliviously.   
" Princess Ayeka, we have arrived at Earth, and are preparing to descend   
at the designated area." She nodded, but Captain Sakuma stood there, and wrung   
his hands. " Princess, we still haven't received word from Jurai. Princess, I   
think before we do this we should contact your parents. Earth is still on the   
list of protected planets, requiring permission from the Jurai royal family..."  
" Which I am a part of." She interrupted, staring heatedly at him. He   
immediately nodded.  
" Of course, my lady. But we still have not received orders from Jurai.   
Perhaps your parents are reconsidering this first contact. We should break   
radio silence and contact headquarters. Excuse me for saying this, but I never   
understood why we had to maintain silence in the first place." Ayeka sat still   
for a moment. Deathly still. Then slammed the brush down, making both Captain   
Sakuma and Sasami jump back.  
" I am terribly sorry captain, that the word of a Jurain princess isn't   
good enough for you." She stood up and marched towards him. Even though she   
was more then a foot shorter then him, he still felt like he was looking up at   
her. " But my authority still carries the force of law on this ship and until   
you are told other wise, you will do exactly as I say." She said. Her face was   
contorted in near fury. She reached over and grabbed her coat from a chair and   
stormed towards the door. " We'll go now." She said, and stormed out the   
door. Kai exchanged looks with Sasami, looking for some sort of answer, and all   
Sasami could do was smile uncomfortably.  
" She's usually not like this."  
  
  
  
  
===== Masaki household, now =====  
  
  
  
  
Tenchi could only stare blankly at the screen. What the hell was Ayeka   
doing? Apparently he'd said it out loud, or Washu was that good at judging him,   
because she answered him a moment later.   
" I really don't know, Lord Tenchi. I really don't know." She shook her   
head. By this time Noboyuki had woken up by the noise downstairs. He came   
downstairs, and his eyes fell on the TV.   
" Could we contact them? Send them a message?" Tenchi asked.   
" We could, but not until Ayeka returns to the ship. To bad we don't   
have a ship of our own. Mihoshi took Yukinojo, and Ryoko took Ryo-oh-ki. I'd   
get started on a hyperspace warp, but I really can't drag myself away from the   
TV. It's like a train wreck. Can't look away. Plus creating a warp would most   
likely tear New York apart in the process." She said, like it was an   
unimportant side note. Tenchi cradled his head in his hands, but his eyes never   
left the TV, as it followed them inside the building. Inside, the general   
assembly waited breathlessly as the small group walked down the aisle and onto   
the stage. Even the news commentators remained quiet, knowing there was nothing   
they could do or say that could possibly add anything to this.   
As Ayeka reached to podium, she reached back to drop her hood. Tenchi let   
out an audible gasp as it fell.   
" Her hair... It's blue. Like Sasami's." He said.   
" Yes, she changed it when she was still a child." Tenchi and Washu   
finally looked away from the screen. Yosho stood in doorway to the hall,   
wearing his traditional priest dress. His glasses were askew and his hair was   
unkempt, as if he had just gotten up. " That is her original hair color. She   
changed it suit me, because it was what I preferred." He smiled and rubbed the   
back of his head in a careless way. " Perhaps I shouldn't have let a girl   
willing to do that for me get away." He joked, and Tenchi grimaced.  
" Grandpa, this isn't funny. I don't know what she's doing at the United   
Nations building, but it can't be good."   
" You take life too seriously Tenchi. This may seem important now, but   
once you've lived 700 years, you learn it will all pass." He said.  
" Earth has just discovered there are aliens. How is that not a big   
deal?" Tenchi countered. " What the hell does she think she's doing?" He   
swore.  
" It's not that hard to figure out what she's doing." Washu said.   
Her arms were crossed, and she frowned slightly. " She's probably just going   
force Earth into joining the Jurain Empire."   
" What?" Tenchi shouted. " She can't do that. Can she?"   
" Yes, she can." Yosho said. Tenchi envied his serenity " Members of   
the Jurain Royal family have almost absolute power, especially among the   
military. They can only be overruled by someone of higher authority in the   
royal family."  
" Quiet." Washu said, and pointed towards the TV. " She's starting."  
" People of the Planet Earth." Ayeka said. She looked slightly   
uncomfortable addressing so many people, but she continued. " Approximately   
Six thousand years ago, colonists from the Kingdom of Jurai left in order to   
expand the kingdom. Most of these colonized worlds expanded, and quickly took   
they're place in the Jurain empire." She said. The crowd grew quiet as most of   
the people came to the obvious conclusion. " But not all. For some reason   
lost to the mists of time, this one was not. So I have come to extend the   
greetings of the Jurain Royal family, and welcome you into the Jurain Empire."   
The camera pulled back a little bit to show the rest of Ayeka's party while the   
reporter muttered something unintelligible. Tenchi saw a look of...   
uncomfortableness was the only way to put it, on the face of the older man with   
them. Sasami just kept throwing nervous glances at her sister, and more nervous   
glances out at the assembled ambassadors.   
" Hmm. I didn't think she'd tell them the truth." Washu said. She had   
quickly regrouped and switched back to "mad scientist" mode.  
" What truth?" Tenchi asked.   
" Nothing really. Just that the Earth was actually created as a study in   
psychology by Jurai and the science academy. A habitable world was chosen and   
seeded with cloned genetic material from volunteers to study progress in   
differing climates and isolation." She shrugged. " I should know, I was the   
overseer of the project." She smiled wickedly as Tenchi absorbed this   
uncomfortable truth. " There's actually a chamber inside the sphinx and other   
'monuments' we built that says 'Property of Washu, the greatest scientific   
genius in the universe. Of course it's in Sokotese, but it's there."   
" That's great Washu, but how do we stop her?" Tenchi said in a panicked   
voice.   
" Not much we can do now." She shrugged. " But wait for someone to   
connect you to her." Tenchi was about to say something, but she shushed him and   
an uncomfortable look crossed her face, and she seemed to flinch for some reason   
Tenchi couldn't detect. " Quiet. I think things are going to get   
interesting." Tenchi wanted to ask what was happening but Ayeka spoke again.  
" I know many of you may have a problem with this. You hold allegiance   
to your own nations, and own sets of beliefs, but I..." She said and trailed   
off as insane laughter echoed throughout the auditorium. Laughter which, to   
Tenchi's surprise, was not coming from Ayeka. Tenchi understood at last. The   
camera panned around and tilted up to reveal a woman with cyan hair, wearing a   
black and red bodysuit, hovering in the air and clutching her stomach, doubled   
over (as much as one can be when floating) with laughter and a small animal   
clinging to her. The news anchor muttered something inaudible. There were   
gasps from the crowd below as everyone started to turn and look, and a low   
growl, much like a cat who'd been teased fifty times too often, coming from the   
front. Ayeka stood at the podium with a slightly disgusted look.   
" Ryoko." Ayeka hissed.  
" How's it going princess?" Ryoko chuckled. Sasami gasped in surprise,   
but smiled in joy.   
" Ryo-oh-ki!" Sasami gasped, and flung herself down the stairs,   
forgetting all of her royal training, as the cabbit leapt off Ryoko's shoulder.   
They reached each other and Sasami embraced the cabbit, as everyone looked on,   
stunned.   
" Dissension in the ranks already, Princess?"   
" Well, um, it appears that someone else has now... has now appeared."   
The reporter stuttered out, though no one was really listening, in the Masaki   
residence or elsewhere.   
" Ryoko." Ayeka growled again. The camera turned back to her, and   
Tenchi nearly gasped. Her face wasn't contorted in rage, but merely blank,   
almost hollow except for her eyes. They were tight and screaming volumes about   
pent-up rage. Ryoko wiped a tear from her eyes, and settled down. The camera   
panned back and forth, not seeming to know who to point at.  
" Ayeka, of all the things I thought you'd do, this wasn't one of   
'em." She said grinned. " And here I thought I'd completely blown it, then   
you go and do this!" She said, and burst out laughing again.  
" Silence criminal!" Ayeka shouted, but Ryoko wouldn't be silenced.   
" It's nice to see you too." Ryoko said.   
" I hardly have time for this now. Leave now." Ayeka said.  
" Or what? Are you going to arrest me?" She mocked.  
" Actually," Ayeka said, with a feral gleam in her eye. " That's   
exactly what I plan on doing. I knew I'd see you again, and if I hadn't, I'd   
have come looking. And I can't let you interfere." Ryoko inhaled silently and   
gave Ayeka cock-eyed look of confusion. Everyone else had the good sense to shut   
up right then  
" And how are you going to do that? Statute of limitations, remember."   
Ryoko offered.  
" The statutes of limitations on your previous crimes have run out. But   
not on your more recent ones." Ayeka said. Ryoko blinked in surprise. She   
wasn't aware of any recent crimes (at least, that Ayeka knew about).   
" Especially not for the attempted murder of a princess of Jurai!" The crowd   
gasped in shock, though no one was certain why. Most had given up on trying to   
figure out what was going on, like a convoluted comic or Soap opera story line.   
" If you're talking about all those times that I kicked your butt, I   
never tried to murder you." She said. She had floated forward a bit so she was   
now just a little in front and above Ayeka. " Severely injury maybe, but not   
murder."   
" No. Not me. For the attempted murder of Princess Sasami." She said,   
a predatory gleam in her eye. Ryoko was shocked, and opened her mouth as if to   
say something, but nothing came out. Even Sasami and Ryo-oh-ki seemed   
surprised.   
" Sasami? When did I ever try to murder Sasami?" Ryoko finally managed.  
" How quickly you forget. I guess it's all just the same to you. It   
happened right before you crashed my Ryu-oh." Ayeka said. Ryoko put her hand   
to her chin, then snapped her fingers a moment later.   
" Oh yeah. That." She said, and teleported over to where Sasami was.   
She gently patted Sasami on the head. " Oh, Sasami. Do you remember that   
thing where I kind of held you against your will? It was right after you met   
Tenchi for the first time." Sasami nodded.  
" Yeah. I think so." She said innocently. Ryoko smiled sweetly.  
" You're not going to press charges against me for that little thing, are   
you? You know I wasn't serious. You know that." She said.  
" Well, I guess I won't."   
" That's a good girl." Ryoko said, patting Sasami lightly on the head.   
"Got anything else, Princess?" The space pirate mocked, which Ayeka answered   
with a pleasant smile. That's when Ryoko started to worry.   
"Actually I do... Although the galaxy police or Jurai may not be able to   
arrest you." She said, with an evil grin. She let it hang for a few seconds,   
and then finished. " But the Kingdom of Manticore can. Indeed, the Solaria   
league also has a current arrest warrant out for you. And Jurai does have   
extradition treaties with them." She said matter-of-factly. " Azaka,   
Kamidake, arrest the criminal." She flicked her wrist forward towards Ryoko,   
but the guardians were already in motion. The took up positions on either side   
of her, and energy   
crackled around her, while Ryoko teleported upwards, not as an escape maneuver,   
but just to put some distance between her and everyone else.  
`" Just a minute!" Someone cried out. Immedialty every person in the   
room snapped to this new voice. " You come in here, telling us we are going to   
become part of your alien empire. Then someone else arrives and you scream for   
their arrest. I think we deserve an explanation for all this before we can just   
let someone be arrested for some reason we know nothing about." Said a man. He   
stood with arms planted firmly on the desk in front of him, but a slight shake   
in his voice made his real feelings clear. Ayeka just threw the   
man a mean look.  
" Hey, no need to help." Ryoko said. As the two guardians closed on her, she   
crossed her arms, creating a visble distortion in the nearby area, like the heat   
coming off a hot street in summer, in what more then one anime fan watching the   
proceedings would think was a pretty damn good Goku impersonation. She held the   
pose for just a second, as the guardians approached, the released with a bang.   
In the blink of an eye, she flung her arms out, and a shockwave pierced the air,   
along with a sonic boom. In the enclosed space, built with acoustics in mind,   
it was near deafening, and many ambassadors had a ringing in their ears for   
hours afterwards. But that's then. When the dust settled Azaka and Kamidake   
were imbedded about six inches deep on opposite sides of the wall, and several   
people swore they saw little birds fluttering above them.   
" But thanks anyway." She landed in the aisle and made a show of   
yawning.   
" See princess. You never understood. I could have taken you out any   
time I wanted, but I didn't." Ryoko mocked. Ayeka was fuming, more so because   
she had just been humiliated and mocked in front of the entire world, then the   
realization of how powerless she was. Ryoko teleported again and this time   
appeared to the right of Captain Sakuma, who had been looking very nervous the   
entire time. With the space Pirate Ryoko, the only person to ever attack Jurai   
successfully, right next to him, he started sweating and his hand wavered above   
his gun.  
" Personally, if I were her, I'd just go home, and leave this planet to   
Tenchi and me." She met Kai face to face. " But then again, she never could   
take a hint." Ryoko shrugged. Meanwhile she missed Ayeka reaching into the   
folds of her robe to get something. She didn't miss however, the familiar snap-  
hiss she'd heard at the two most important moments of her life, the second time   
meaning the loss (temporary though it might have been) of a hand. She turned to   
see Tenchi-ken in the hands of Ayeka, with the blade mere inches from her   
throat.  
" Ayeka, no!" Sasami gasped. She picked up Ryo-oh-ki and hurried back   
to Ayeka. Ryoko just stared at her.  
" I may not be the swordsman Yosho is, but at this distance that won't   
matter." Ayeka growled.  
" Can you do it, Princess? It's not easy to take a life, especially for   
a spoiled rich girl like..." She said, but her voice faltered as she met   
Ayeka's stare. She felt afraid of her for the first time, with the fires of   
hell almost burning from her eyes. She might just do it, Ryoko thought. Not   
being an idiot, Ryoko teleported away to a safe distance, leaving Ayeka holding   
a blade to thin air. " You really are serious. I guess I'll give you a little   
time to cool off. There's something you need to know, but I just want to see   
the look on your face when Tenchi tells you." Ayeka didn't respond. Just   
glared at her, and held the blade still.   
" Come, Ryo-oh-ki!" The cabbit nuzzled Sasami good-bye, then leapt into   
the air, turning into a spaceship, and unintentionally putting a huge hole in   
the ceiling.   
" I'll... I can pay for that." Ryoko said blankly. She teleported away,   
Ryo-oh-ki rose up, and seconds later they were gone as Sasami waved goodbye.   
" Come captain, we're going back to your ship." Ayeka said. " Sasami!   
We're going!" She said. Captain Sakuma breathed a sigh of relief with Ryoko   
gone.  
" Okay!" Sasami replied meekly. " But what about them?" She pointed   
to the crowd, and Ayeka grumbled impatiently. She snatched up the microphone,   
and said quickly:  
" You'll all receive more details and orders in a little while." She   
said curtly, and motioned to Captain Sakuma. Moments later, they were   
teleported away.  
  
  
  
  
=====Masaki residence=====  
  
  
  
  
" I don't believe this. I just don't believe this! In front of the   
entire world." Tenchi kept repeating. He held his head in his hands as if   
the trying to make the world stops pinning. With Ayeka gone, things have   
finally settled down, and the UN had come to order and started bickering amongst   
themselves again. Washu took the remote and turned it off. Tenchi started   
pacing and Yosho just shook his head.  
" I never thought she would do this." He said.   
" Well we're going have to figure out what we're going to do." Washu   
said.   
" Can we contact the ship now? It's got to be in orbit if she's   
teleporting, right?" Tenchi said.  
" Technically it only has to be within about one point seven AU   
(Astronomical unit for the Astronomically illiterate, the distance from the   
Earth to the sun) to teleport, but yes I could easily contact them." Washu said   
casually. " But that wasn't what I was talking about. Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryoko   
were known about town. It's only a matter of time till someone connects you   
too. You need to figure out what you're going to do when the news casters   
starts beating down your door."   
" I hadn't thought about that." Tenchi murmured. " Not that I really   
had time too."   
" Feel free to take sanctuary down in my lab." Washu offered with a   
suggestive grin. " You can use my bed."  
" Or up at the shrine. Funaho (the tree) can create a force field to   
shelter the shrine." Yosho said.  
" Thanks," Tenchi grimaced. " but I think we'd better deal with Ayeka   
first. We should have some time before we have to worry about press." Tenchi   
said. At that same moment there was a knock at the door. Slowly, Tenchi,   
Washu, Yosho and Noboyuki turned to stare at the door in disbelief. A moment   
later, there was another knock. Everyone looked at Tenchi. He suddenly got   
very nervous, and stared at the door for a few minutes, then he slowly walked   
towards it. He reached out, took the knob in one hand, and slowly twisted it.   
The door creaked open.  
" Hey Tenchi, why didn't you tell us you were getting it on with an   
alien?" Daisuke said. Hiroshi threw an arm around his shoulder headlock while   
Daisuke patted him hard on the back.  
" What?? I... No. I'm not. How did you get here so quickly, that alien   
princess' speech just ended a couple of minutes ago?" Tenchi asked.  
" Oh, I called Daisuke as soon as I figured it out, and we came over   
here." Hiroshi said, mussing Tenchi's hair.   
" We figured you could give us the whole scoop about what's really going   
on." Daisuke said. Tenchi weaseled out of the headlock and took a few steps   
back.  
" Well I'm sorry you came all the way here. I don't know her." Tenchi   
bluffed. Clearly they didn't believe him.   
" So you just happened to be living with a woman named Ayeka, a VERY   
uncommon name, shared only with an alien princess." Hiroshi said.  
" Yes."   
" Who just happened to have a sister who shared another uncommon name   
with another princess?" Daisuke added.  
" Yes."  
" Who both bare a striking resemblance to the two people your posing with   
in that picture back there?" Hiroshi said, pointing to a picture on the wall.   
Tenchi walked over, took it off the wall, and gave it to them. It was a picture   
taken last Christmas, with Ayeka and Sasami, along with everyone else, posing   
for the camera.  
" There's no resemblance." Tenchi said with a remarkably straight face.   
" Oh come on, Tenchi." Daisuke said.   
" Hey, did she have some sort of weird alien sexual organ?" Hirsohi   
said.  
" I'm telling you guys, I have no idea who she is." Tenchi said and he   
did it so calmly and truthfully, that they might have believed him if Ryoko   
hadn't appeared right then. He felt her before he saw her, felt her semi-formed   
fingers grasping at his chest even before she finished teleporting.  
" Oh, Tenchi." She squealed, hugging him tightly. " Can you believe   
what that mean old Ayeka did?" Ryoko laid in repose, floating about five feet   
off the ground and hugging him tightly. There was a quick flash and Tenchi   
turned to see Daisuke with a disposable camera, the kind you can get out of   
vending machines, taking pictures. Ryoko looked at them with a wry smile.  
" Make sure you get some good shots." She said, and tossed out a peace   
sign as Daisuke flashed away. A moment later Ryo-oh-ki, in cabbit form, miya'd   
and jumped up on his shoulder and tried her very best to wrap her tiny cabbit   
forelimbs around Tenchi's head. Washu even got into it and started striking   
poses with a pair of fans in front of them.  
" So is sex with aliens better then with Earth women?" Hiroshi asked,   
forwarding his camera.   
" You bet it is." Ryoko answered suggestively, nudging Tenchi gently   
with her chest.   
" You know, Ryoko, I'm still not sure I'd like you around right now."   
Tenchi said. Ryoko, obviously not expecting this, let go of him and let her   
feet fall so they touched the ground. She crossed her arms indignantly, and   
turned away from him.  
" So you'd rather have the stuck up princess who's trying to take over   
your world. She probably was going to threaten to the destroy Earth if they   
didn't make you her love slave."   
" Maybe." Tenchi said.  
" Oh come on, Tenchi. Plese, can't you forgive me? I know what I did   
was childish and stupid, but I really didn't mean it." She pleaded, turning   
back to him with big puppy eyes. Tenchi stared at her for a moment.   
" All right." He gave in.  
" So Tenchi, mind telling us what's going on?" Daisuke asked. Tenchi   
looked at his friend and grinned.  
" It's kind of a long story."  
  
Note: There's part five. Much better then 3 and 4, if I do say so myself.   
Part six is already written, I just have to proof read it and edit and send it   
in. If it's not in this update, it will be in the next. 


	7. Jurai Blues Chapter 6: There's no place...

Note 1-26-03: All right, here is the revised, final chapter. I made some major edits, so if you see anything out of place please tell me right away so I can fix it.  
  
Final Note: Finished my first story (Again). Hop you like it.  
  
Note: I don't own any of these characters (If I did, do you think I'd   
spend my time writing fanfics? Hell no. I'd spend all my time   
spending the profits I make from Tenchi Muyo merchandise.) Anyway,   
Pioneer owns this all, so please don't sue me (Not that you'd get any   
money, I'm broke.)  
  
No need for global conquest  
By James Kane (Or Psyco Panda, if you prefer) Email me with thoughts   
and comments at confuciousays@hotmail.com  
  
  
  
  
Jurai Blues Part 6: There's no place like home   
  
  
  
  
===== Jurain Battleship Eternity, above New York =====  
  
  
  
  
Ayeka stepped onto the bridge looking for blood. Ryoko's cutting   
insults in front of an entire planet had pierced her to the core, and   
undermined her authority with Earth. Now everyone would question why   
they should listen to someone who apparently had no control over her   
own empire. And it was all the fault of someone on this bridge.  
" I demand to know why there was no attempt to stop Ryo-oh-ki,   
and why you didn't even bother to tell us she was coming? Certainly   
you must have detected her coming!" Ayeka fumed, and she looked   
towards the most likely culprit, the First officer who was in charge   
while Sakuma was gone. The first officer was didn't even glance at her,   
just calmly brushed by her to hand a small PDA to Kai. Anyone else might have been concerned by this sudden change of attitude, but Ayeka was Ayeka was   
nearly livid at being given the cold shoulder, and Captain Sakuma was   
shocked at his own first officers right disrespect for royalty.   
" I demand to know what's going on!" Ayeka said through   
clenched teeth. Kai stared at the PDA, and his mouth dropped a little.  
" Your mother is in your room." The captain said flatly. The   
effect was immediate. Somehow, despite the fiery anger in her blood, her blood turned to ice. Captain Sakuma noticed this with only a little bit of shock. Despite having grown up respecting and honoring the royal family, even he had started becoming suspicious. Simply too much did not make sense. He continued. " She ordered my crew not to alert you of the arrival of herself or Ryo-oh-ki, nor to prevent Ryo-oh-ki from landing." He said calmly, still watching her.  
" And.. that's it?" She said quickly. She seemed annoyed at   
this. " And is it Misaki or Funaho?"  
" Lady Funaho." He corrected himself. His eyes narrowed at the   
princess. It was obvious something was very wrong, and it looked very   
serious. " And nothing more. Just that she wants to see you as soon as   
possible."   
" Oh." Was all she said. She did a quick 180 and headed   
straight for the elevator, and then went straight to the room she shared   
with Sasami. Lady Funaho was sitting on the bed holding a brightly   
smiling Sasami. It briefly occurred to Ayeka that Sasami hadn't been   
smiling like that lately. Only now that she was with mother Funaho and   
earlier with Ryo-oh-ki, did she seem happy. ' I should have sent her back to Jurai. I would have too, if I thought they wouldn't interfere with my plans.' She though. Funaho turned to Ayeka, and looked her over impassively, as if Ayeka were some priceless statue she had just bought.  
" Ayeka! Funaho-mom is here!" Sasami shouted with glee.  
" Well. It looks like you've been busy, Tasana-chan." Ayeka   
grimaced at hearing Funaho's pet name for her. Partly because it   
showed how little serious thought Funaho was giving her, but mostly because   
even after seven hundred years she still had no idea what it meant,   
since it was in her native language. Ayeka got straight to the point.  
" Mother, why have you been interfering with what I've been   
doing?" Ayeka said.   
" Well, as a queen, and your mother, I have to clean up when my   
eldest daughter makes a giant mess simply to spite a boyfriend." She   
said, while stoking Sasami's hair. Ayeka's eye's focused intently on   
her mother.  
" Is that what you think I'm doing, mother? Lashing out at Earth to get even with Tenchi? I'm almost insulted that you think so little of me. You're letting your feelings for your son bias you." Ayeka accused.   
" Well, just days after you think Tenchi dumps you, you hijack a   
battleship and try to take over his planet. I can't see it any other   
way." Funaho said. Ayeka bristled.  
" See it this way. While I was living here, I got a good look at Earth. I saw so much suffering, poverty, disease, death, crime. Even though they don't know it, the people of Earth are all citizens of the Jurain empire, deserving of the same rights, privlages, and caring as any other. How could I turn my back on them, as a princess of Jurai? You may see them as nothing more then an experiment in psychology, but I haven't." Ayeka forcefully replied.   
" How very noble." Funaho said, with a humoring smile.   
" But why didn't you check with us? By the way, could I get Tenchi-ken back?" She said, holding out her hand to receive the master-key. Ayeka pulled it off her robe, but just held it in her fingers.  
" I didn't call home because I didn't want to waste the time. I didn't see any way that a truly caring king and queens would want to make their subjects suffer." Ayeka said, lying. She knew exactly what her parents would have said. Her eyes narrowed on Funaho. " But perhaps I should have realized some people on planet Jurai wouldn't be quite up to the task of ruling an empire." Funaho caught the weakly subtle inference. She picked up Sasami off her lap, who had been watching the exchange silently with growing concern, and moved her onto the bed.  
" And what is that supposed to mean, Princess Ayeka?" She said, finally growing aggravated and stressing her authority.  
" It just strikes me as odd that so many, many problems seem to come from people from Earth. Why, it's almost like there's a problem on the genetic level." She said. Funaho's impassive face suddenly tightened.  
" I'm not quite certain what you're talking about." Funaho spoke heavily. She had a good idea of what Ayeka was talking about, but she still wanted to give Ayeka a chance to back down.  
" Really, then how about a certain Jurai prince whose mother was from Earth, for one, who although perfectly glad to take advantage of the advantages of being royalty, skipped out when it was time to take some responsibility." She said. Funaho clenched and unclenched her hand, as if preparing to use it. " And let's not forget that certain prince's grandson, who would sell out the power of Jurai royal blood to a whore and a pirate who slaughtered thousands on Jurai." Ayeka said, her lip curling into sort of a wicked smile. Sasami quietly knelt on the bed, forgotten. Neither was paying any attention to her, so neither saw tears beginning to form as their argument continued.   
" And then then there's the princes mother. I wasn't alive when   
she arrived on planet Jurai, but from all accounts she caused a severe   
split of the Jurain nobility, almost a civil war." A vein began to   
bulge on Funaho's forehead, and her hand finally lashed out across   
Ayeka's cheek.  
" Perhaps if the princess knew anything about real..." Funaho   
stressed the word real " responsibility, instead of being pampered by   
her elder brother at his shrine, she would not be so quick to judge   
others. Perhaps she would have thought before acting. The cultures on   
Earth are to primitive to accept the concept of non-human life, and the   
people themselves have a long-standing dislike and distrust of   
authority. Not even mentioning the fact that paranoid ideas about alien invasions have been popular fodder for films, and anime for years." Lady Funaho nearly sneered. " She might have realized that coming down with no warning at all, and declaring herself queen of Earth was the Worst! Conceivable! Thing! She could do." She said, stressing her words as anger flowed through her.   
" As evidenced by the riots and protests already underway in almost half of the Earth's capitals cities. How many more people must die so a spoiled princess can get her revenge on a certain Jurai prince, who may not be quite so willing so sell out the power of Jurai royal family blood as she thinks. And as for that certain Jurai prince's grandfather, let's not forget that the princess used to be despertaly   
in love with him until she met his grandson."  
" A mistake I truly regre..." Ayeka said, when a scream suddenly shattered through the room and got both they're attention.  
" STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!" Sasami screamed. Her cry echoed   
through the room, in no small part due to the help of Tsunami's power. She   
wiped her tears away, and Ayeka instinctively tried to go to her.   
Sasami pushed her away and ran crying out the door.  
" Sasami!" They both shouted.  
Ayeka started to follow her out the door, but turned to Lady Funaho, and said, almost growling...  
" We'll talk again after I tend to Sasami."  
  
  
  
  
As Ayeka searched the ship, she missed the most obvious place on the ship, the chamber of the Jurai tree at the ships core. She lay quietly on a bench near the great tree, Koyasu, who could only respond with a sort of melodious song. Jurai trees are quite sensitive to the feelings of those around them, even to people who they aren't joined with, and are very caring by nature. Any Jurai tree would have done the same, even without her link to Tsunami, obvious to any Jurai tree. Her link did give her a few benefits only she could have. Though many people bonded to Jurai trees knew generally what such songs as Koyasu sang were about, there was so much more to them then words. Through her link with the first Jurai tree, she understood the subtle changes in tone, in feeling, at least the ones her human ears could detect, and how they affected how the words should be interpreted. Any musician would have given his ability to reproduce to be able to do the same, but it was all secondary to Sasami at the moment.   
Sasami's young mind couldn't quite grasp what was happening. Her   
sister, whom she had spent years with, and loved more then anyone else   
in the galaxy, had gotten into terrible fight with her mother, whom she   
respected more then anyone, and insulted both Yosho and Tenchi, two   
people she loved deeply. She couldn't quite believe it Ayeka could do   
that, especially since she'd always seemed to love Yosho, even after she met Tenchi. Ayeka had seemed like a different person since Tenchi broke up with her. She just didn't know what to do. She barely noticed when the song stopped, and replaced with the slower patterns of normal speech. It wasn't   
until the fifth time he said it that Sasami seemed to hear it.   
" Really?" She asked the tree. The tree responded affirmative   
with a few harmonic tones. " Thank you very much." She bowed politely, eyes still shining with tears, and rushed down to the landing bay, where a certain space pirate and her cabbit/space ship were about to dock.  
Right as she arrived, Lady Funaho, and Mihoshi (Who had given Lady Funaho a lift to the Eternity in Yukinojo) were greeting Tenchi, Ryoko, Ryo-oh-ki, Yosho, Washu, and two people Sasami knew vaguely as Tenchi's friends from school, while Captain Sakuma surveyed the new arrivals from the back of the room. She ran up and threw her hands around Tenchi's waste.   
" Tenchi Tenchi Tenchi! I've missed you so much Tenchi!" She cried out.   
" Hello Sasami. I've really missed you too!" He said, patting her head. She smiled, then composed herself as a Jurai princess should, and let go, but stayed close to him and held his hand. Funaho smiled at her daughter in a re-assuring way.   
" Thank you for coming, Lord Tenchi. I think we're going to need every person we can get to settle this." Lady Funaho said. Sasami could tell she seemed a bit drained.  
" Lord Tenchi, Lady Funaho has told me all about you. I'm   
honored to have Lord Yosho's descendent aboard my ship." Captain Sakuma said, with a curt bow, and a suspicious glance towards Ryoko. Yosho, for his part, stood towards the back and was glad he wasn't recognized.   
" Who are your guests?"   
" This is my grandfather Katsuhito, Little Washu, the greatest   
scientific genius in the universe," He said. Washu grinned broadly   
and giggled at Kai's disbelieving look. He motioned towards Ryoko, and noticed the captains suspicion. " This is Ryoko. She's not a pirate anymore. And these two..." He leaned over and threw an arm around Daisuke. Hiroshi was   
over hitting on Mihoshi again. " These are my friends from Earth.   
They said they wanted to come along to represent... what was it?"   
Tenchi said, grinning cynically at his friend.  
" Earth's interest." Daisuke said. " We're here to make sure   
the people of Earth have a voice! Freedom eternal! No taxation   
without representation! Viva la revoloution!" He said comically. Then he whipped out the camera and started snapping away. Kai blinked as the flash blinded him for a few moments, but he was more amused then angry when he realize what the camera was. " This is so cool."   
" We've got a meeting room on the fifth deck. If you'll follow   
me." Kai said, and motioned forward.   
" After you." Ryoko said.  
" I insisit." Kai said, motioning out the door. Ryoko flashed   
a predatory smile at the captain, and walked through the door, and everyone followed, Tenchi with Sasami Sasami. As Tenchi walked out, Sasami let go of Tenchi's hand and looked over her shoulder. She'd seen Ayeka enter the room from a different door, apparently having been informed of Tenchi's arrival, while Tenchi and Daisuke were talking. She hadn't done anything, just   
listened. Now, she met Sasami's gaze full on. She didn't really seem   
angry, but her eyes were filled with pain. Sasami tried to mouth an   
apology, though she didn't really know for what, but Ayeka just turned   
and left. The only thing Sasami could do was run after Tenchi and her   
mother.   
  
  
  
  
Ayeka felt her heart sink. Since they had been children, after Yosho left and later, when she believed Yosho died, after Tench's betrayal, no matter what, Sasami had always been there at her side. When she had chosen to go off into space, searching for Yosho, Sasami had not hesitated to join her, even though it meant leaving their parents. Even if she had teased Sasami when they were younger, she had always loved her.  
But now, as she walked slowly out of the landing bay, she could barely move. Sasami had abandoned her. For Tenchi. She supposed she shouldn't have been all that surprised. She was just a young girl after all. She needed her friends, and she didn't yet understand all that was going on. And though Tenchi had hurt her, Sasami had never felt betrayed. Perhaps she might have if she understood what Tenchi with Ryoko would mean, but then again she never seemed to understand exactly how dangerous Ryoko was. She smiled briefly at Sasami's innocence, but that only hurt her more.   
A helpful crew member stopped to try and aid her, but she pushed him away, and tried to run, run anywhere that no one would see her. She knew she was going to cry, feel it as it welled up in her throat. She nearly retched as a sense of Déjà vu came over her. First Tenchi, now Sasami. Would it ever end?   
Jurains loved nature and just because it was a military vessel, designers saw no need to make them go without, building actual gardens with holographic imagery depicting vast skylines. It was not the best place to be alone, but being Jurain, it was the place Ayeka felt most comfortable. A Jurain fetal position, perhaps. It was the only comfort her tortured heart could conceive of. That last, most primitive instinct we find comfort in when we have been abandoned by those we most care for. Or perhaps, when we abandon them without realizing it. (Writers note: Author not held liable for lethal doses of melodrama.)  
  
  
  
  
The meeting room they were led too was pretty spacious, and shaped   
in a half circle, much like a smaller version of an old Greek theater. In a dramatic change of theme, this no room had any wood in it all, or plants. It was gleaming metal. It could seat about fifty people, since the Eternity had the capability to lead a fleet, this was a very important feature, but with the few they had everyone was able to sit in the front row, except for Lady Funaho and Captain Sakuma, who took seats at the display, and Sasami, who quietly took a seat at the back of the room. Funaho had wanted her to sit next to her, but she seemed disturbed by something  
" Before we start, Captain Sakuma, would you please have your   
people find Ayeka, and escort her here. Whatever we decide, we're   
going to need her to inform the Earth of it." Queen Funaho said.   
Captain Sakuma nodded and spoke a few words into a com.   
" What are we going to do?" Tenchi was the first to voice what   
they were all thinking.   
" I suppose the only thing we can." Yosho said. " We must   
tell the world what really happened. It is the only thing that we can   
do that might help restore some trust in Jurai."   
" Just so I know," Hiroshi said " does Jurai actually have the   
right to come in and take us over? They don't, do they?"   
" Afraid so." Washu answered. " At least as far as the rest   
of the galaxy goes, Jurai has the prior claim." She said, then   
muttered, " Plus no one really wants to argue with the most powerful   
empire in the galaxy over a tiny little speck of dust like Earth."   
" What!" Daisuke said. " So even if they leave, Jurai can just come back anytime and absorb the Earth into it?"   
" Well, Yes." Funaho said flatly. " That's probably what's   
going to end up happening anyway. It won't happen for at least fifty   
years, so no need to start a resistance movement right away." She said,   
with a gently sarcastic smile. Daisuke blushed a little.   
" So Ayeka's actions truly were without backing from the royal family?" Captain Sakuma asked, near hopless.  
" I regret that it is so." Funaho replied.  
" Damn." Kai sighed, in a severe breach of etiquette.   
" I wouldn't worry about it, Captain." Yosho said. He hadn't   
been doing much since they had begun, merely attempting to add to his   
list of Zen/wise/ generally wise sayings (OAV 13, I think). " You probably should have suspected something when a tearful Jurai princess showed up on your   
doorstep, but legally you did what you should have done. You won't be jailed for following orders."  
" I feel so much better." He said saracasticly. " I'm such an   
idiot for not seeing this sooner."   
" Come now, Sarcasm doesn't become a captain of a mighty Jurain ship."  
" Your right, I guess." Kai agreed, then frowned. " May I ask how you know so much about Jurai?" Yosho flinched, but as always his mom came to the rescue.  
" We're not going to hold you responsible, but we may need to   
use your ship for what we have to do." Lady Funaho said.  
" Whatever you need, your highness, I will do." He said.   
" And stop calling me your highness, Funaho is fine. I try not to stand on formalilty, especially at times like this." Kai nodded.   
" So what are we going to do about Earth?" Tenchi asked.   
" I see no reason we shouldn't go back to the UN and have Ayeka   
speak there." Funaho said. " They won't be happy, but I don't think   
theres much else we can do."  
" What about after?" Hiroshi said, and Daisuke nodded next to   
him. " Are you just going to leave, or are you going to stay a   
little?"   
" It depends on what the world wants." Funaho said. " If they   
want us to stay and advise we will, if not we'll go until Earth is   
ready to travel to other planets. Then we'll have to, since Earth is a   
part of Jurai, and we'd be held responsible if they did anything too   
bad. Does the Earth delegation have a problem with this?" She kidded.   
" So no forced mating then? Damn." He said, snapping his   
fingers in a show of disappointment, and Tenchi groaned at his friend's   
poor joke.   
" Oh, I'm sure we could arrange something like that." She   
replied, and he blushed at the same moment a beep sounded. Captain   
Sakuma reached and picked up his com unit.   
" You have a call from the king, Queen Funaho." He said. Queen   
Funaho nodded.  
" About time. Is there somewhere I can talk to him?" She   
asked.  
" Certainly." He motioned for one of the guards. He told her which way to go, and she left. Things quickly got louder without Queen Funaho's maternal, calming presence. Mihoshi, who until this point had been kept busy playing   
with a rubics cube, courtesy of Washu to get her out of the way, she quickly grew bored with it looked for something else to play with. Hiroshi and Daisuke got restless and started wandering around the room, pushing buttons   
wherever they found them. Washu was trying to distract Sasami from her   
depression by telling her about renassaince art, while creating a warp hole to bring Michealangelo's statue of David as an example. Tenchi waited patiently, while Yosho got into the lotus.   
" Hey Ryoko, can I play with your hair?" Mihoshi asked. Ryoko   
scowled and shook her head no. " I think it would look pretty in a   
braid." Ryoko poked Mihoshi's chest.  
" What's this?" She said, and when Mihoshi looked down.   
" What do you think this does?" Hiroshi said. Daisuke   
shrugged. " Let's find out." He pushed the button and the front wall, which had been blank was replaced by a picture of a nice looking, ringed planet.  
" Stop that." Kai ordered. The two flinched and then moved to   
another console.  
" Owww. That hurt Ryoko. Your mean."   
" Hey, I AM a space pirate."  
" What about this button?"   
" Looks important. I'll give you a thousand yen to push it."   
" Deal." And the room plunged into darkness.  
" Huh?" Tenchi said.  
" That was the light switch!" Kai shouted. " Push the one   
above it."   
" Which one? I can't find it." Daisuke replied. " This one?   
No, not it. I need some light." And there was. At that moment, the   
door slid open as Funaho entered. She didn't even flinch as she entered the pitch dark room, just fluidly and seriously walked into the room, flipped the light switch and walked down to the table. Her stern look was more then enough to tell everyone in the room something was wrong. Hiroshi and Daisuke knew enough to return to their seats.   
" What's happened?" Tenchi asked.   
" Just about the worst thing possible." She sighed. " Azusa has decided to side with Ayeka in this matter. He thinks Earth should be brought into the Jurain empire. We're to follow Ayeka's orders in this." She nearly growled. The room broke out in surprise and outrage.  
" What the heck?" Hiroshi said.   
" What? Why?" Tenchi said.   
" Officially, he thinks Ayeka has done the right thing, but I know him too well. He thinks he's being sneaky and hoping to drive a wedge between you and Ayeka. He's giving her more room to alienate you." She said, and Tenchi   
stared, dumbfoundedly.  
" Can't we do something? What about the Jurain supreme council?   
Can't they do something." He said. Yosho answered with a head shake.  
" The supreme council can not over rule the king. They exist solely because one man can not properly govern an entire star empire alone. They derive their power from the royal family." He said. " I never thought he could do this."   
For a moment there was silence. No one quite knew what was coming next with Ayeka acting so unpredictably. No one could guess what was coming next. There was only one person most people could turn too. Lady Funaho was quick to   
take responsibility.  
" Captain Sakuma, you should go and tell your crew what's going on. If you Ayeka gives any orders, I'd appreciate it if you could try and be creative when following the orders to try and stall until I can talk to Azusa. Unfortunately, he decided, right after I talked to him, to call an emergency cabinet session and will not be available for a few days. Tenchi, would you go talk to Ayeka. Maybe you can reach her, or at least find out what's she going to do. And remember what I said about growing fond." Kai and Tenchi nodded. Her words hadn't occurred to him since Ayeka came back. " Ryoko, maybe you should leave for now. She may decide to try and arrest you again."  
" Let her try." Ryoko boasted, until she noticed Tenchi giving   
her an annoyed look. Not wanting to lose whatever trust she'd rebuilt,   
she changed her mind. " But I guess it'll cause less trouble. I'll be   
in Okayama if anybody needs me. Ryo-oh-ki you stay here." The cabbit   
miya'd and she disappeared.   
" And what do we do?" Daisuke asked.  
" Wait until we know more." Funaho replied thoughtfully. " If   
you went back now and told everyone what's going on, obviously they wouldn't be happy about it. There would of course be resistance on Earth, hoping to force Ayeka to leave. If Ayeka isn't too sure about what she's doing, that could influence her to stop, but if she's determined, people could die. I'm sure Captain Sakuma could put you up for a few days."   
" Erm, thanks, I suppose." Hiroshi replied hesitantly.   
" At least we get to stay and find more gizmos to mess with." Daisuke said, trying to be upbeat.  
" In the meantime, I need to talk to Azusa, and Misaki to.   
Maybe if he's dealing with the both of us, he'll rescind his order." She said, as she stood up. " Washu, if you would please keep an eye on Earth, and tell me if you think anything is about to happen." The tiny genius nodded. " Now, if you'll excuse me." She left, muttering silent curses towards her husband.  
  
  
  
  
It hadn't been hard for Tenchi to find Ayeka. On a small ship, rumors about an irate, sulking princess threatening hideous death upon anyone foolish enough to disturb her spread quickly. Tenchi saw her sitting on a small bench amid many brigtly colored flowers. He was very glad she didn't see him. He took several deep breaths, uncomfortably aware that to the best of his knowledge, Ayeka still held Tenchi-ken. ' It's now or never I guess.' He took a few steps towards her until he walked straight into a forcefield with a loud 'Oof'. Ayeka's head whipped around in startlement, then as their eyes met, she regarded him coldly.  
" Tenchi, of all the people I do not want want to see, you are at the very top of the list." She said, slowly and methodically, then returned her gaze to the stars. " Go away."  
" I can't Ayeka. Things have changed. Your father has ordered the  
captain to follow your orders. He's agreeing with you." He said, then immediately regretted it. If Ayeka didn't know her orders had to be followed then...  
" I know. Azaka and Kamidake have been in contact with Koyasu, and they informed me." She said, without looking at him. " If your just playing messenger boy for Funaho, you can leave now."   
" Theres more you need to know Ayeka. Would you mind lowering the force field?" He asked. Ayeka seemed to ignore him, but the field lowered. Tenchi slowly walked over and sat next to Ayeka, who still wouldn't look at him.   
" What will you do about Earth?" He asked.   
" I think it should be obvious. I'll start integrating technology and legal code of Jurai into Earth. Those that prove helpful will be given limited autonomy. Those that don't shall be destroyed." She said coldly.  
" You can't mean that. People won't accept you." He argued. " There'll be war!" Ayeka threw him an uncaring glance.  
" And who do you think will win?" She asked rhetorically. Feeling he was getting no where, Tenchi tried switching tactics.  
" You know, Lady Funaho thinks your father is doing this to come between you and me."   
" Then my mother has a keen grasp of the obvious." She muttered, to Tenchi's surprise. " Did you honestly think I didn't know? My father couldn't care less about what happens to this planet. I could blow it up for all he cares, but he does care about Misaki and Funaho. In many ways they're closer to each other then to father, and Misaki will almost always side with Funaho. Though they'd never openly break with him, they could certainly make his life a living hell for a very long time. The only reason he'd defy her wishes for the daughter he's barely seen or heard from in 700 years is to do something he feels protects Jurai. And he made the right decision in trying to keep us apart because I can see by the look on your face that absolutely none of this so much as occurred to you which is solid proof of why you'd never have fit in on Jurai." She said. " If something as simple as this is past your sense of politics, the convoluted schemes of Jurain nobles would cause your head to implode." Tenchi gritted his teeth, but let the insult slide. He didn't need to get into an argument right before he told her...  
" It never happened." He simply said. Ayeka looked at him curiously for a moment.  
" What are you talking about?" She said. Tenchi struggled to find the words. He knew she wasn't going to take it well. Then again, who'd take something like this well?  
" What you saw wasn't real Ryoko and I never..." He tried to continue but Ayeka interrupted him, with fury in her eyes.   
" How dare you, Tenchi! Do you take me for a idiot! How can you deny it?" She demanded. It distantly occurred to Tenchi that Ayeka got ugly when she was angry. He sighed.  
" I thought you'd say that. Or rather," He said, slipping a hand into his pocket to remove a small item. " Washu did. She gave me this before I came. It's a portable holograph making... thing. You can give it verbal commands to make a hologram. It's what Ryoko used to trick you." He said. For a brief moment Ayeka's eye's flickered as she wondered whether to believe him. Tenchi wouldn't give her the chance to decide he was lying. He pushed a button, and Ayeka was shocked to see herself standing before them both.   
" I realize it might be hard to accept. But it's the truth." She saw herself say. " Tenchi has never had intercourse with Ryoko, and felt betrayed when he found out." Then the hologram flickered out of existence. Leaving Ayeka, pale beyond words, staring at empty space.  
" I made this just a few minutes ago." Tenchi said calmly. Ayeka didn't reply or even look at him. " Here. Take it." He said handing it over to Ayeka. Ayeka seemed to believe him, evidenced by the fact that her hand trembled, and she refused to meet his eyes. " when you're ready, I'd like to talk to you again." Ayeka waited until just after Tenchi left to break down.  
It was a tribute to Ayeka's self control that all she did was squeeze the holo-projector into a shattered ball. And then throw the ball to the ground. And then stomp on it until it was dust. To be fair, most people would have done much, much more.  
  
  
  
  
  
The room was warm, and comfortable, but to Ayeka it now seemed like a   
cold, dark dungeon. She didn't quite know how to what to think now. Yesterday, she was so certain about everything. Tenchi was evil, and the Earth needed her guidance to achieve peace. Perhaps some would die in the initial instability, unable to accept her superiority, but that was acceptable. History was filled with examples such as that. She hadn't thought Queen Funaho would have gone along with it anyway, until she saw the glorious results of what she'd accomplished.   
Now though, if it was all true... Ayeka sat on the edge of her   
bed staring out the window. Earth seemed so peaceful, but she knew   
that wasn't true. She really had deeply affected the people of it.   
'Was it worth it?' She wondered. She couldn't answer her own question. She needed to know the question first. Did she do it because she wanted to help people, or to get even with Tenchi? Or both? She buried her face in the   
pillow, though not letting herself cry in anger or pain. There was a gentle knock on the door. Ayeka ignored it, hoping they'd go away and leave her be.  
" Ayeka. Ayeka!" Sasami shouted from the other side. " Come on, sis. Open up!" She said. " Please. I just wanna talk." Ayeka sighed into the pillow. She wanted to be alone right, now but she knew she shouldn't be alone, and at least it was Sasami, if anyone. Sasami peered in cautiously.   
" Ayeka? Please don't be mad at me." She said, peering into the dark room. Ayeka chuckled quietly into the pillow, then looked up at Sasami.  
" I'm not mad at you Sasami." She sighed. " Come here, Sasami." She didn't need to ask twice. Sasami bounded onto the bed, and sat next to Ayeka.   
" I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you, but I just wanted to see Tenchi and Ryo-oh-ki and Mihoshi and Washu." She said, cuddling with Ayeka.  
" I know, Sasami. I'm sorry, I know this must have been hard on you." She said, lightly stroking Sasami's hair. Sasami seemed to struggle with something.  
" Tenchi said that what you saw that night wasn't real. Just a trick." She said. Ayeka choked up a little.  
" I know that too. Tenchi told me." Ayeka said.   
" So you don't want to take over Earth anymore? And we can go back to Okayama?" Sasami said.  
" I... don't know, Sasami. After what's happened, it may be for the best if I continue, or else there could be anarchy. It could still be for the best. Earth could benefit a lot from Jurai. As for going back to Okayama..." She said, longing in her voice. " I'm sure Tenchi would let you go back, but I don't know if he wants to see me anytime soon." Sasami looked up, surprised.   
" Of course Tenchi would like to see you again. You should go to him and apologize." She said. Ayeka shook her head mournfully.   
" I tried to do something terrible, Sasami. I know that now." She said. " I don't think Tenchi can forgive what I tried to do."  
" Of course he will! I'll go tell him you want to apologize." She jumped off the bed, and ran out the door.   
" Sasami wait!" But she was already out the door. " I didn't want it to come to this. Not yet." She sighed, out of frustration and despair. She wanted to believe that Sasami was right, and Tenchi would forgive her. Another part of her was afraid Tenchi would reject her. She didn't want to have to face him. " What am I going to do?" She asked herself. She clutched her face in her hands. " What should I say to him?"  
" I find 'I'm sorry' usually works pretty well." Said a familiar voice. Ayeka looked up, shocked.   
" Ryoko?" She said, to shocked to even feel angry for a minute. Just a minute though.  
" Trust me, I've piss'd off Tenchi enough times, I should know." She said, without the undertone of condesencion and mirth she usually had.   
" Tenchi told me not to come, but I've never been too good at doing what I was told."  
" If you came to gloat, just leave. I'm not in the mood." She glared at the cyan-haired woman, who simply shook her head.  
" I'm in no position to gloat. It's not like I didn't get Tenchi pretty mad when he found out what I did, so don't think Tenchi's suddenly making protestations of love to me. No," She said simply, sitting down in a nearby chair, and looking away from Ayeka. " I came to apologize." Ayeka stared unabashedly open mouthed at Ryoko.  
" What, you? Apologize? You never apologized for anything in your life!" She fumed. Ryoko scowled at her.  
" I've apologized for a lot of things, like... What I apologized for isn't important. You're not making this a whole lot easier, you know." She barked back. Ayeka was about to make a retort when Ryoko cut her off.   
" Look princess, the last thing either of us needs is to have Sasami bring Tenchi here and see us pummeling each other to a bloody mess, so I'm just going to say what I have to say." She said, with great difficulty. " Ayeka, I'm sorry. I went to far, all right. I let myself get carried away." They stared at each other for a moment. " So are you going to accept my apology or what?"  
Ayeka seemed to think on it, and frowned a moment later. But she said  
" All right, Ryoko." She said quietly. " But don't think this changes anything between us though. I still think you're an awful pirate who should be locked up." Ryoko just smiled, as though she had been complimented.  
" Very well, and I still think you're a spoiled brat princess." She stood up and casually yawned. " I'll just get out of your hair. Nice color by the way. Looks better on Sasami though. I wouldn't worry about Tenchi. You could have blown up the Earth, and I still think he would have forgiven you. He's great like that." She started to float off.  
" Ryoko, would you do me a favor?" Ryoko halted in mid-air. She shrugged.   
" What do you need?" Ayeka grabbed an item off a nearby table and tossed it to Ryoko. " Would you give that to Tenchi for me?" Ryoko reached for it.  
" Sure Ay... GYAAAAAAAAH" She screamed, as Tenchi-ken hit the floor with a clatter. (Editors note: Remember OAV2? She can't touch it) She growled at Ayeka, who just smirked.  
" We're even now." She said. She was about to snap back at her, but restrained herself.   
" All right." She struggled to say. " We're even."  
  
  
  
  
Minutes later, Sasami appeared. Tenchi had said that if there was anything she needed to say, he'd be in the gardens. Ayeka procrastinated for about half an hour, working with her hair, trying to look perfect until Sasami finally grew frustrated, and dragged her out of the room. Neither she nor Tenchi spoke about what was said, though everyone suspected it had involved a lot of crying and pleading, but almost immedialy afterwards, she went to the bridge, and announced to the entire Earth that there had been a 'misperception' regarding the 'specifics' of her orders (Tenchi didn't say anything, allowing her a little bit of pride). Earth was angry but, still to confused about having an alien empire invade, then apoligize a day later to say anything about it. That would probably change in the future, but for a while afterwards things were quiet.  
  
  
  
  
=====Several days later, Masaki residence, Earth=====  
  
  
  
  
'It almost feels like old times.' Tenchi thought to himself with a wry smile. The entire group had gotten together for the first time in a days, even Ayeka. Ayeka, and Sasami, as well as Lady Funaho had stayed aboard the Eternity. Mihoshi and Ryoko had been enjoying they're new found fame, both becoming instant celebrities, especially Ryoko. Mihoshi had been contacted by the Galaxy police, and had been re-assigned as they're representative to Earth. Tenchi suspected they'd been praying for something like this to happen back at HQ, because it got her out of danger, and let them assign a new, more reliable officer to Earth. Things had been so great on Earth. Since she had begun giving interviews, she had sent more then a few interviewers into fits trying to get sensible answers out of her.   
Ryoko had been somewhat vague about what she was doing, but she had shown up several times to give him expensive gifts and said simply that she was being paid by the Massachusetts institute of Technology (MIT) to study with them. Tenchi suspected there was no "with" but didn't say anything. Sasami had been staying with Ayeka. Ayeka had been 'pouting', according the Funaho.  
Sasami had first asked him to do this, supposedly because she missed everyone, but Tenchi suspected that it was, at least in part, to cheep up Ayeka. To tell the truth, Tenchi had been kind of hoping for the same thing. Even when he forgave Ayeka, everyone still hadn't been in the same room since before Ayeka left. So he'd helped Sasami organize a little party.  
It had been a extraordinarily dull for a party, especially a party Ryoko was at. Tenchi sat at the head of the table, with Ayeka to his left and Ryoko to his right. Both were being very polite to him, especially Ayeka. Washu and Mihoshi were next to Ayeka and Ryoko, and Sasami sat at the other end from Tenchi. Lady Funaho and Yosho sat on the couch, discussing Jurai and foreign affairs. Hiroshi and Daisuke had begged to come when they learned about it, but Tenchi flatly said he wanted this to be private.  
" Mmmm. This Saysoh is really good." Mihoshi chirped. Saysoh   
was a Jurian delicacy, and it was fortunate that the Eternity's cook   
had a supply.   
" But it's not as good as anything Sasami makes." Tenchi   
replied, causing the young princess to blush. Captain Sakuma had nearly had a fit when he learned Sasami was going to be cooking, and had not relented until they had agreed to use the ships chef. Funaho watched them with grim amusement. She was still a little upset about what Ayeka had said to her.  
" Tenchi seems to be very forgiving." Funaho quietly said to   
Yosho, who was sitting next to her and very uncomfortable.  
" He probably gets it from his grandmother. I can't possible   
think of who on our side he could have gotten it from." He replied,   
and Funaho gave a light chuckle.   
" Your father has his moments of forgiveness. You just haven't been on Jurai during them." Meanwhile, Tenchi was enjoying the near godlike power he had over Ayeka and Ryoko.   
" Could someone pass me noodles?" He asked, grinning inwardly,   
and immediately Ayeka and Ryoko lunged across the table towards the egg noodles. Ayeka was just a little bit faster, or had been thinking about what Tenchi might need, and got to it first.   
" Lord Tenchi.' She offered. Tenchi calmly took what he wanted, though not really needed, and Ayeka put the noodles back.   
" Thank you Miss Ayeka." Tenchi said. If a person were keeping   
score, which both Ayeka and Ryoko certainly were, then this would have   
been the third 'Thank You' for Ayeka, but Ryoko still had four.  
" Spoiled princess." Ryoko muttered.  
" Cat eyed beast." Ayeka muttered louder. The pair's eyes   
locked and they both began to emit an almost animal like growl.  
" Girls, no fighting at the table." Tenchi calmly reminded them.  
" Yes, Lord Tenchi." They both quickly replied. Ryoko had   
begun calling Tenchi 'Lord Tenchi' to try and score brownie points.   
' Enjoy this now, Tenchi', he thought. He knew this wouldn't last. In   
fact, they'd both been getting bolder by the minute. Neither would   
have dared insult the other in his presence a half hour ago when the   
meal began. At least it wouldn't be happening all the time.   
" So when are you leaving for that ship?" Mihoshi asked, oblivious to the fact that Ayeka DID NOT like being reminded of that particular fact.  
" I do not see why I should be leaving." Ayeka replied, eyeing Mihoshi   
angrily.   
" But didn't Funaho-mom say you had to leave to that ship dad's   
coming in?" Sasami said.  
" Indeed." Funaho said, pretending to be helpful. " When the Jurain ambassadorial ship arrives, which it should very soon now, you will have to take your place as ambassador to Earth."  
" Mother, I still don't see why I have live on this ship. Certainly we could arrange for something, a little closer to here to be built." Ayeka said desperatly.  
" You just wanna be near Tenchi." Ryoko goaded with a smirk.   
" Certainly not." Ayeka defended. " I just... like this area. I have grown fond of it."  
" Will I be able to stay here with Tenchi?" Sasami asked.  
" Certainly." Funaho replied.   
" But mother..." Ayeka started, but Funaho broke her off with a   
wave of her hand.   
" You decided to make contact with Earth, so you must stay in contact with them." She said deliberately. " And it would be unfair to Japan to make them build a facility or make them the center of attention when we have an easy solution. It would seem like we were biased towards Japan if we did that. The Jurain ambassadorial ship your father is bringing has more the adequate facilities for all your needs. And we will be able to use it immediately, without having to build something."  
" Your mother has a very good point." Tenchi agreed. " You don't want the world to think you're unfairly favoring Japan, do you?" Ayeka nearly cried when Tenchi took her mother's side, but that wasn't the worst part.  
" Don't worry princess, I'll take good care of Tenchi." Ryoko   
purred. Ayeka stared coldly at her, until Tenchi cleared his throat   
and get her attention. Dejected, she sat with her head hanging low and sighed. She knew she couldn't win the argument. She wondered if Tenchi had invited her simply to drive her insane with these mixed signals. An hour later without (major) incident, Tenchi and crew had gathered outside, waiting patiently for the King of Jurai.   
Tenchi didn't quite know how to respond to the king, after what happened between him and Ayeka. He certainly wasn't going to be happy to have had his plan destroyed by Tenchi again. His fingers lightly grasped Tenchi-ken, which Ayeka had given back to him.  
At that moment, the tell tale hum of a Jurain teleporter sounded, and two figures appeared amidst the swirling cherry blossoms. King Azusa and Queen Misaki stood at the edge of the dock. Azusa's eyes immediately fell on Tenchi. They exchanged strong glances, Tenchi standing firm and showing he could not be bullied. Tenchi even felt a little thrill, knowing he had fought the plans of the most powerful man in the galaxy, and came out victorious.   
" Oh Sasami!" Queen Masaki cried, and threw her arms around her   
youngest. " I've missed you so much." She picked her up and held her   
tightly, showering her with kisses.   
" Funaho my love, it is so good to see you again." He said warmly.  
" Azusa." Funaho coldly acknowledged. She received Misaki far more warmly. Masaki embraced Funaho almost as tightly as she had Sasami.   
" Sister, you've been gone to long." She said.   
" Well Tenchi, it seems you have been fairing well." Azusa said through gritted teeth. Tenchi bowed, and thanked him.  
" As they would say on Earth, 'That's Tenchi two, Azusa zero." Funaho breathed in her husbands ear.  
" I wouldn't know what your talking about." He said.  
" Oh, my daughter Ayeka." Masaki said, and to everyone's surprise, just nodded her acknowledgement.  
" Oh mommy!" Ayeka said, as she had said every other she'd seen her. Ayeka didn't have to be prompted, even though her mother was acting oddly. Masaki looked at Ayeka as if she had never seen her before.  
" Ayeka," She said simply. " aren't you a little old to be calling me mommy?" She asked. Face fault, all but Funaho and Yosho. As everyone stood back up and stared in disbelief. Funaho leaned over and whispered in Ayeka's   
ear.  
" Now that you have responsibility, she sees you as a grown woman, and no longer her little girl." Ayeka sighed as at least one thing went her way.  
" You should probably go up to the ship now and start getting settled. You should get started early." Misaki said, and Ayeka suddenly saw that perhaps this wasn't quite so good. Funaho nodded in agreement. Reluctantly, she headed outside, where she would contact the ship. She stopped at the door and turned to Tenchi.   
" If you need anything Tenchi, call me."   
" Oh I'm sure I'll be able to give him everything he needs," saying her   
words deliciously. Tenchi frowned at her. " Have fun Princess." Patting Tenchi on the stomach, then went slightly lower, causing Tenchi to smile awkwardly. She said, smiling triumphantly. Ayeka groaned inwardly, at Ryoko's success. She felt like the entire night was simply an excrutiating form of torture. Tenchi seemed to be happy with Ryoko, and almost seemed to delight in showing her. Dejected, she turned towards the pier to contact the ship, nearly fighting back tears.  
" If it's no big deal, I don't really think the party needs to end right now.." Tenchi said, silently enjoying Ryoko's facefault, and to a lesser extent, King Azusa grinding his teeth. Ayeka froze in place, and turned to look at Tenchi with wide eyes. She shook her surprise away and nodded quickly.  
" Certainly. I don't see why not." She said, tossing a question glance at queen Funaho. It would be her say so if she could stay. Even Azusa wouldn't dare contradict her in this, Ayeka felt. The queen stood silently for a moment, taking her time. She nervously twirled a strand of her long aqua hair.  
" I don't see why Ayeka can't stay a little longer." She finally said, smiling faintly. " What do you think Misaki." Sasami eagerly hugged her mother.   
" Can she mom? I'd really like that." The little girl exclaimed.  
" Perhaps it can wait just a bit longer." Misaki said, gently rubbing Sasami's head. Ayeka breathed a sigh of relief, quietly praised Tsunami (wondering if maybe she had had something to do with this) and began walking back inside.   
" And to think I wondered if Tenchi would have problems on Jurai."   
Funaho whispered to Azusa, as they entered . " If the way he plays Ryoko and Ayeka is any indication, he should have no trouble fighting Jurai politicians."  
" I suppose you have a point." He said grimly.   
The picture falls back to an exterior of the house, everyone goes inside, and begins to pull back. Eventually, it reveals the author standing on a hill, facing the camera, hands folded in front of him, in a very Rod Serling/Twilight Zone-esque manner.  
" As a young girl discovered in a long ago movie, and Princess Ayeka of Jurai discovered today, there is simply no place like home. She discovered another truth as well. What makes a home? Is it a place? A building? A welcome mat saying 'Home Sweet Home'? No, a home is where our family is. As Princess Ayeka discovered today, family need not always be people to whom we are related to by blood, though they surely qualify. Family are simply people we love, and who love us in return. Friends and loved ones, whom shall never betray us, even if we might betray them. That, though we may burn down some bridges, there will always be people to help us ford our way back across. We need but to ask them. A brilliant insight into the nature of man and life, or simply a cheap way for an author to try and make his worrk seem more important? We may never know. Thank you, and join us next time in... the Tenchi Zone."  
  
  
  
  
Note: Weird enough ending, but I always get my cameos :).   
Perhaps I will make this Twilight Zone esque a way to explain my final   
ideas in at the end. Well, it took me long enough, but I finally   
finished it. I feel this was much better then my previous chapters, which   
even I realize had some serious flaws. I plan on starting a new one sometime, look for it in the X-over section of TMFFA or simply the Tenchi one on Fanfiction.net. I've decided on the Ah! My goddess crossover as my next story. Thank you for reading my work, and feel free to email me at confuciousays@hotmail.com. As an interesting side note, I decided to leave my original monologue in. I makes less sense, but that's because I made some major revisions to this. I like the new one better of course.  
  
  
  
  
" You can never go home again. It seems a simple enough statement. But as Princess Ayeka of Jurai discovered today, a true one. That does not mean, however, that one can not still build their own house, a new one, sometimes a similar one, with the timbers of burnt bridges, or that paths will always diverge from our loved ones, never to cross again. Life is a twisting thing, as mixed as the metaphor I just used. No matter how much we might wish it other wise, as we grow up, our lives change. Sometimes in great ways, sometimes in small ones, but the differences always exist. A brillant philosophical statement, or simply a cheap way for an author to try and make his work seem more important then it really is? We may never know. Thank you, and join us next time in... ' The Tenchi zone.'" 


End file.
